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AUCTION BRIDGE 



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FOS'l'ER'S 
AUCTION BRIDGE 

UP TO DATE 

CONTAINING THE OFFICIAL LAWS OF 

AUCTION BRIDGE AS ADOPTED 

1910 BY THE WHIST CLUB 

OF NEW YORK 

BY 

R. F. FOSTER 

AUTHOR OF "Foster's complete hoyle" 

ILLUSTRATED 

With Numerous Diagrams and Engravings 
NEW YORK 

FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


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Copyright, igio, by 
FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY 

Copyright, xqoS, by 
FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY 



All rights reserved 




September, igio. 



©Gi,A27;^r/7 



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CONTENTS 

PAGE 

INTRODUCTION 9 

LAWS OF THE GAME .... 19 

DESCRIPTION OF THE GAME . 49 

ORDER OF PLAY 59 

TACTICS OF THE GAME ... 73 

Bidding 74 

First Bidder 75 

No-Trump Declarations ... 78 

Red Suit Declarations .... 84 

First Round 85 

Second Round 94 

Overbidding 98 

Second Bidder 98 

Third Bidder 103 

Fourth Bidder 114 

Second Round 116 

Bluffing 118 

Doubling 119 



6 CONTENTS 

PAGE 

TACTICS OF THE GAME (Confd) 

Opening Leads 122 

Leading Against Trumps . . . 128 

Leading Against No-Trumpers . 135 

Third Hand Play 137 

Return Leads 140 

Second Hand Play 141 

The Declarer's Play .... 144 

Discarding 148 

Value of the Score 152 

Conclusion 155 

VARIETIES OF AUCTION BRIDGE 157 



INTRODUCTION 



INTRODUCTION 

Those who have watched the trend of events 
in the world of cards must have been im- 
pressed by the constantly increasing popu- 
larity of games in which there is a bidding 
element; games in which there is no favored 
player who inherits the right of making the 
trump, or turning it up from among his own 
cards, but in which everyone must compete in 
the open market for the advantage. In some 
games these special privileges must be paid 
for in some way, and if you want them you 
must be willing to risk as much (or more) as 
any other player at the table in order to se- 
cure them. 

This is undoubtedly in accordance with the 
spirit of modern civilization ; for card games, 
like anything else, follow the development of 
the race, and mirror the conditions of society 
and the state of business morals. If we re- 
view the favorite card games of the past 
twenty years, we shall find that there has been 
a constant tendency towards bidding games, 
in which certain privileges, especially that of 



10 INTRODUCTION 



naming the trump, are sold at auction. Bos- 
ton, Solo Whist, Cinch, Auction Pitch, Five 
Hundred, Nap, Auction Pinochle, and Skat, 
will readily occur to the reader. Several of 
these games are changes from older forms in 
which the trump was turned up, and where 
such a change has been introduced it has been 
found almost impossible to get players to 
return to the old style. 

That Bridge would not escape the general 
tendency was inevitable. When certain colors 
become the fashion, they impress themselves 
upon everything, and you suddenly find your- 
self tired of a dress which is not up to the 
latest styles. 

Bridge, probably because it lacks the bid- 
ding element, shows some signs of going out 
of style, and it certainly has not the rage it 
had a few years ago. There is no bidding 
for anything. The dealer declares by divine 
right, and all his adversaries can do is to make 
the declaration a little more expensive for 
him if they think it is a bad one; a policy 
which sometimes reacts upon themselves. 
They cannot change his decision. They can- 
not make a better declaration, no matter what 
cards they hold. The dealer picks up his 
thirteen cards and says, ** Diamonds are 



INTRODUCTION 1 1 



trumps." As it turns out, between his cards 
and his partner's, the odd trick with simple 
honors was a certainty in spite of the best 
possible play on the part of his adversaries; 
therefore he scores 6 and 12 — a total of 18 
on the deal. 

Had the adversaries been allowed to say 
anything about their cards on that deal, they 
would perhaps have made it hearts, and won 
five by cards, with four honors in one hand — 
a total of 104. But the game of Bridge is 
so contrived that the player cannot get out of 
his cards what they are worth unless he has 
the deal. Even then he sometimes misses it 
pretty badly through not knowing what 
Dummy holds. 

Such things as this are continually happen- 
ing : The dealer passes it and Dummy makes 
it spades. Eldest hand finds he has four aces. 
All he can do is to make spades worth four; 
but this does not deprive the dealer's side of 
the score for four honors, and although the 
dealer loses four by cards, making nothing 
but three tricks in trumps, he is only eight 
points to the bad on the deal. Had the eldest 
hand been allowed to play the cards dealt him 
for what they were worth, he would have 
made a Grand Slam at no-trumps, with a 



12 INTRODUCTION 



hundred aces, or 224 points instead of 16, to 
say nothing of a game in. 

More than half of a player's strength is 
wasted in Bridge; because the best game at 
the table is so seldom played. You may hold 
splendid cards, but unless you hold them at 
the right time, when it is your deal, or when 
the make fits your hand, your cards are good 
for little or nothing. What use are five hon- 
ors in hearts against a diamond make with a 
soHd club suit behind it? It is just Hke hold- 
ing a full hand in Poker when no one comes 
in. 

Everyone must have observed countless oc- 
casions upon which he secretly wished that 
the dealer would be tempted to go no-trumps, 
or that Dummy would make it a weak heart. 
How many times you would like to make the 
trump when it is not your deal? How often 
have you felt that you would be willing to give 
the dealer points for his privilege, simply to 
make the most of your own cards? 

Another continual source of loss in Bridge 
is due to ignorance of the contents of the 
partner's hand, and this is as true of the 
dealer and his partner as it is of the leader 
and his partner. Probably fifty per cent, of 
the declarations could be improved upon if 



INTRODUCTION 1 3 

one had any idea of even one suit in the part- 
ner's hand; just as many a game could be 
saved if one adversary knew what to lead 
to the other. 

Auction Bridge provides the coveted op- 
portunity to play your cards for all they are 
worth, no matt^er who deals, and it also fur- 
nishes the player with more or less informa- 
tion as to the possibilities of his partner's 
hand, in one suit if not in all. This informa- 
tion is useful either for declaring or for play- 
ing against the declaration. In this respect, 
the garrle becomes a more actual partnership 
than straight Bridge, and at the same time it 
offers a wider range for the exercise of per- 
sonal judgment, as opposed to dumb luck. 
Above all, it holds ample reward for the first 
attribute of a good player in any game — 
courage. 

Just when or how this innovation of bid- 
ding for the privilege of naming the trump 
at Bridge was first suggested, it is difficult 
to say; but it undoubtedly came from players 
who were familiar with the attractions of the 
bidding element in other and similar games. 
A person who has played one or two good 
auction games soon wants to play all games 
that way. 



14 INTRODUCTION 



There are three methods of settling upon 
the player who shall have the privilege of 
naming the trump at Auction Bridge, involv- 
ing three different styles of bidding, and there 
are also various ways of adjusting the score 
when the bidder fails to make good. 

In the first method, the bidder not only 
names the suit but the number of tricks he 
proposes to take if that suit be trumps, the 
rank of the bids being determined by their 
point value, each player in turn being allowed 
to outbid the other and to be outbid again. 

In the second method, the suit only is 
named, and the rank of the suits determines 
the rank of the bids. As no tricks are guar- 
anteed, a player who could make four odd in 
diamonds would be outbid by one who had 
nothing but the odd in hearts ; because hearts 
ranked higher as a suit. 

In the third method, the bidding is by 
points, neither suit nor tricks being named, 
and the value of the honors is also included 
in the amount named. If a player bids twenty- 
four, it is impossible to say whether he is 
going to try for two by cards at no-trump, or 
three in hearts, or four in diamonds, or four 
in spades with four honors, or what it will 
be. The defect of this method is, that it gives 



INTRODUCTION 1$ 



the partner no hint as to the suit in which tlie 
bidder is strong, and no hint to the leader as 
to the suit with which to attack if the player 
is overbid. 

Of these three methods, it would seem that 
the first, for which special rules have been 
drawn up, is the fairest to all concerned, and 
gives the best chance for the display of skill. 
It is to the description of that form of the 
game, therefoiie, that the main body of the 
present text-book has been devoted. The 
other forms or variations, one of which is bor- 
rowed from the Russian game of Siberiac, 
and the other from the American game of 
Skat, have been separately described at the 
end. The Laws refer exclusively to the first 
form. 

As it is more than probable that many per- 
sons will take up Auction Bridge who have 
never played straight Bridge, the following 
pages have been written with a view to a cer- 
tain completeness, so that it shall not be neces- 
sary for the reader to learn Bridge before be- 
ing able to understand what is here said about 
Auction Bridge. 

R. F. FOSTER. 



THE 

LAWS OF AUCTION BRIDGE 



THE 

Laws of Auction Bridge 

Reprinted by permission of The Whist Club of New 
Tork; Revised to October 1, 1910, 

THE RUBBER 

1. The partners first winning two games 
win the rubber. If the first two games decide 
the rubber, a third is not played. 

SCORING 

2. A game consists of thirty points obtained 
by tricks alone, exclusive of any points counted 
for honors, chicane, slam, little slam, bonus, or 
undertricks. 

3. Every deal is played out, and any points 
in excess of the thirty necessary for the game 
are counted. 

4. When the declarer wins the number of 
tricks bid, each one above six counts towards 
the game two points when ^spades are trumps, 
four when clubs are trumps, six when dia- 
monds are trumps, eight when hearts are 



20 AUCTION BRIDGE 



trumps and twelve when there are no 
trumps. 

5. Honors are ace, king, queen, knave and 
ten of the trump suit; or the aces when no 
trump is declared. 

6. Honors are credited in the honor 
column to the original holders, being valued as 
follows : 



3 honors 

4 ** 

5 ** 
4 ** 

4 •' 

5 *' 


When a Trump is Declared. 

field between partners equal value of 2 tricks, 
ii i( (( i( (( 4<< 

C< <( (( <( (( C(( 

* * in 1 hand * * * ' 8 * * 

t 5th in 1 
*• **1 **-^ partner's^" '* 9 ** 

( hand J 




3 
4 
4 


PF^^« No Trump is Declared, 
aces held between partners count 

" ** in one hand " 


30 

40 
100 



7. Slam is made when seven by cards is 
scored, independently of tricks taken as penalty 
for the revoke; it adds forty points to the 
honor count.^ 

8. Little slam is made when six by cards is 

^Law 86 prohibits the revoking side from scoring 
slam or little slam. 



AUCTION BRIDGE 21 

similarly scored; it adds twenty points to the 
honor count.^ 

9. Chicane (one hand void of trumps) is 
equal in value to simple honors, i.e., if the 
partners, one of whom has chicane, score hon- 
ors, it adds the value of three honors to their 
honor score; if the adversaries score honors, 
it deducts that value from theirs. Double 
chicane (both hands void of trumps) is equal 
in value to four honors, and that value must 
be deducted from the honor score of the ad- 
versaries. 

10. The value of honors, slam, little slam, 
or chicane, is not affected by doubling or re- 
doubling. 

11. At the conclusion of a rubber the trick 
and honor scores of each side are added, and 
two hundred and fifty points added to the 
score of the winners. The difference between 
the completed scores is the number of points 
of the rubber. 

12. A proved error in the honor score may 
be corrected at any time before the score of the 
rubber has been made up and agreed upon. 

13. A proved error in the trick score may be 



*Law 86 prohibits the revoking side from scoring 
slam or little slam. 



22 AUCTION BRIDGE 



corrected prior to the conclusion of the game 
in which it occurred. Such game shall not be 
considered concluded until a declaration has 
been made in the following game, or if it be the 
final game of the rubber, until the score has 
been made up and agreed upon. 

CUTTING 

14. In cutting, the ace is the lowest card ; as 
between cards of otherwise equal value, the 
lowest is the heart, next the diamond, next the 
club, and highest the spade. 

15. Every player must cut from the same 
pack. 

16. Should a player expose more than one 
card the highest is his cut. 

FORMING TABLES 

17. The prior right of playing is with those 
first in the room. If there be more than four 
candidates, the privilege of playing is decided 
by cutting. The four who cut the lowest cards 
play first. 

18. After the table is formed the players cut 
to decide upon partners, the lower two playing 
against the higher two. The lowest is the 
dealer, who has choice of cards and seats, and 



AUCTION BRIDGE 23 

who, having made his selection, must abide 
by it. 

19. Six players constitute a complete table. 

20. The right to succeed any player who may 
retire is acquired by announcing the desire to 
do so, and such announcement shall constitute 
a prior right to the first vacancy. 

CUTTING OUT 

21. If, at the end of a rubber, admission be 
claimed by one or two candidates, the player 
or players having played the greatest number 
of consecutive rubbers shall withdraw; but 
when all have played the same number, they 
must cut to decide upon the outgoers ; the high- 
est are out.^ 

RIGHTS OF ENTRY 

22. A candidate desiring to enter a table 
must declare such wish before any player at the 
table cuts a card, for the purpose either of be- 
ginning a new rubber or of cutting out. 

23. In the formation of new tables those can- 
didates who have not played at any other table 
have the prior right of entry. Those who have 
already played decide their right to admission 
by cutting. 

^See Law 14 as to value of cards in cutting. 



24 AUCTION BRIDGE 



24. When one or more players belonging to 
another table aid in making up a new one, the 
new players at such table shall be the first to 
go out. 

25. A player who cuts into one table, while 
belonging to another, shall forfeit his prior 
right of re-entry into the latter, unless he has 
helped to form a new table. In this event he 
may signify his intention of returning to his 
original table when his place at the new one 
can be filled. 

26. Should any player quit the table during 
the progress of a rubber, he may, with the con- 
sent of the three others, appoint a substitute to 
play during his absence ; but such appointment 
shall become void with the conclusion of the 
rubber, and shall not in any way aflfect the sub- 
stitute's rights. 

27. If any one break up a table the remain- 
ing players have a prior right at other tables. 

SHUFFLING 

28. The pack must not be shuffled below the 
table, nor so that the face of any card may be 
seen. 

29. The dealer's partner must collect the 
cards from the preceding deal and has the 
right to shuffle the cards first. Each player has 



AUCTION BRIDGE 25 

the right to shuffle subsequently. The dealer 
has the right to shuffle last ; but, should a card 
or cards be seen during the shuffling, or while 
giving the pack to be cut, he must re-shuffle. 

30. After shuffling, the cards properly col- 
lected must be placed face downward to the 
left of the next dealer. 

THE DEAL 

31. Each player deals in his turn; the order 
of dealing is to the left. 

32. The player on the dealer's right cuts the 
pack, and in dividing it he must leave not 
fewer than four cards in each packet ; if in cut- 
ting or in replacing one of the two packets a 
card be exposed, or if there be any confusion 
or a doubt as to the exact place in which the 
pack was divided, there must be a fresh cut. 

33. When the player whose duty it is to cut 
has once separated the pack, he can neither 
re-shuffle nor re-cut, except as provided in 
Law 32. 

34. Should the dealer shuffle the cards after 
the cut, the pack must be cut again. 

35. The fifty-two cards shall be dealt face 
downward. The deal is not completed until 
the last card has been dealt. 



26 AUCTION BRIDGE 



36. There is no penalty for a misdeal. The 
cards must be dealt again. 

A NEW DEAL 

37. There must be a new deal — 

a. If the cards be not dealt into four packets, 

one at a time and in regular rotation, begin- 
ning at the dealer's left. 

b. If, during a deal, or during the play, the pack 

be proved incorrect or imperfect. 

c. If any card be faced in the pack. 

d. If any player have dealt to him a greater 

number of cards than thirteen, whether dis- 
covered before or during the play. 

e. If the dealer deal two cards at once and then 

deal a third before correcting the error. 

f. If the dealer omit to have the pack cut and 

either adversary calls attention to the fact 
prior to the completion of the deal and be- 
fore either adversary has looked at any of 
his cards. 

g. If the last card do not come in its regular 

order to the dealer. 

38. There may be a new deal — 

a. If the dealer or his partner expose a card 

before the deal has been completed. Either 
adversary may claim a new deal. 

b. If either adversary expose a card before the 

deal has been completed. The dealer or his 
partner may claim a new deal. 



AUCTION BRIDGE 2^ 

c. If, before fifty-one cards are dealt, the dealer 

look at any card, his adversaries have the 
right to see it and either may exact a new 
deal. 

d. If, in dealing, one of the last cards be exposed 

by the dealer or his partner, and the deal 
be completed before there is reasonable time 
for either adversary to decide as to a new 
deal. In all other cases such penalties must 
be claimed prior to the completion of the 
deal. ' 



39. The claim for a new deal by reason of 
a card exposed during the deal may not be 
made by a player who has looked at any of his 
cards. If the deal stand, a card so exposed 
cannot be called. 

40. Should three players have their right 
number of cards, the fourth less than thirteen, 
and not discover such deficiency until he has 
played, the deal stands ; he, not being dummy, 
is answerable for any established revoke he 
may have made as if the missing card or cards 
had been in his hand. Any player may search 
the other pack for it or them. 

41. If during the play a pack be proved in- 
correct or imperfect, such proof renders the 
current deal void but does not affect any prior 
score. (See Law 37b.) If during or at the 



28 AUCTION BRIDGE 



conclusion of the play one player be found to 
hold more than the proper number of cards 
and another have an equal number less, the 
hand is void. 

42. A player dealing out of turn or with the 
adversaries' cards may be corrected before the 
last card is dealt; otherwise the deal must 
stand, and the game proceed as if the deal had 
been correct. 

43. A player can neither cut, shuffle nor deal 
for his partner without the permission of his 
adversaries. 

DECLARING TRUMPS 

44. The dealer, having examined his hand, 
must declare to win at least one odd trick, 
either with a trump suit or at "no trumps." 

45. After the dealer has made his declara- 
tion, each player in turn, commencing with the 
player on the dealer's left, has the right to pass 
or to make a higher declaration, or to double 
the last declaration made, or to re-double a 
declaration which has been doubled, subject to 
the provisions of Law 55. 

46. A declaration of a greater number of 
tricks in a suit of lower value, which equals 
the last declaration in value of points, shall be 



AUCTION BRIDGE 2g 

considered a higher declaration — e, g,, a decla- 
ration of ''Two Spades" is a higher declaration 
than ''One Club/' and "Two Diamonds" is 
higher than "One No Trump." 

47. A player in his turn may overbid the 
previous declaration any number of times, 
and may also overbid his partner, but he can- 
not overbid his own declaration which' has 
been passed by the three other players. 

48. When the final declaration has been 
made — /. e., when the last declaration has been 
passed by the three other players — ^the player 
who has made such declaration (or in the case 
where both partners have made declarations in 
the same suit, or of "No Trumps," the player 
who first made such declaration) shall play the 
combined hands of himself and of his partner, 
the latter becoming dummy. 

49. When the player of the tw^o hands (here- 
inafter termed "the declarer") wins at least as 
many tricks as he declared to do, he scores the 
full value of the tricks won (see Laws 4 and 
6). When he fails, his adversaries score in the 
honor column fifty points for each under- 
trick — i. e,, each trick short of the number de- 
clared; or, if the declaration have been 
doubled, or re-doubled, one hundred or two 
hundred respectively for each such trick; 



30 AUCTION BRIDGE 



neither the declarer nor his adversaries score 
anything towards the game. 

50. The loss on the declaration of ''One 
Spade" shall be limited to one hundred points 
in respect of under-tricks, whether doubled or 
not, unless re-doubled. 

51. If a player make a declaration (other 
than passing) out of turn, the adversary on his 
left may demand a new deal, or may allow the 
declaration so made to stand, when the bidding 
shall continue as if the declaration had been 
in order. 

52. If a player, in bidding, fail to declare a 
sufficient number of tricks to overbid the previ- 
ous declaration, he shall be considered to have 
declared the requisite number of tricks in the 
bid which he has made, unless either of his 
adversaries make a higher declaration, double, 
or pass the insufficient declaration. When the 
insufficient declaration is corrected to the requi- 
site number of tricks in the bid, or if the cor- 
rection be impossible, the partner of the de- 
clarer shall be debarred from making any fur- 
ther declaration, unless either of his adversa- 
ries make a higher declaration or double. 

53. After the final declaration has been 
made, a player is not entitled to give his part- 
ner any information as to a previous declara- 



AUCTION BRIDGE 3 1 

tion, whether made by himself or by either 
adversary, but a player is entitled to inquire, 
at any time during the play of the hand, what 
was the final declaration. 



DOUBLING AND RE-DOUBLING 

54. The effect of doubling and re-doubling 
is that the value of each trick over six is 
doubled or quadrupled, as provided in Law 4 ; 
but it does not alter the value of a declaration 
— e. g., a declaration of *'Two Diamonds" is 
higher than "One No-Trump," although the 
''No-Trump" declaration has been doubled. 

55. Any declaration can be doubled and re- 
doubled once, but not more; a player cannot 
double his partner's declaration, nor re-double 
his partner's double, but he may re-double a 
declaration of his partner which has been 
doubled by an adversary. 

56. The act of doubling, or re-doubling, re- 
opens the bidding. When a declaration has 
been doubled or re-doubled, any player, includ- 
ing the declarer or his partner, can in his 
proper turn make a further declaration of 
higher value. 

57. When a player whose declaration has 
been doubled makes good his declaration by 



32 AUCTION BRIDGE 



winning at least the declared number of tricks, 
he scores a bonus which consists of fifty points 
in the honor column for winning the number 
of tricks declared, and a further fifty points 
for each additional trick he may win. If he or 
his partner have re-doubled, the bonus is 
doubled. 

58. If a player double out of turn, the ad- 
versary on his left may demand a new deal. 

59. When the final declaration has been 
made, the play shall begin, and the player on 
the left of the declarer shall lead. 

60. A declaration once made cannot be al- 
tered, unless it has been doubled or a higher 
declaration made. 

DUMMY 

61. As soon as the eldest hand has led, the 
declarer's partner shall place his cards face 
upward on the table, and the duty of playing 
the cards from that hand shall devolve upon 
the declarer. 

62. Before placing his cards upon the table 
the declarer's partner has all the rights of a 
player, but after so doing takes no part what- 
ever in the play, except that he has the right : 

a. To ask the declarer whether he have any of 
a suit which he may have renounced; 



AUCTION BRIDGE 33 

b. To call the declarer's attention to the fact 

that too many or too few cards have been 
played to a trick; 

c. To correct the claim of either adversary to a 

penalty to which the latter is not entitled ; 

d. To call attention to the fact that a trick has 

been erroneously taken by either side; 

e. To participate in the discussion of any dis- 

puted question of fact after it has arisen 
between the declarer and either adversary. 

f. To correct an erroneous score. 

63. Should the declarer's partner call atten- 
tion to any other incident of the play in con- 
sequence of which any penalty might have been 
exacted, the declarer is precluded from exact- 
ing such penalty. 

64. If the declarer's partner, by touching a 
card or otherwise, suggest the play of a card 
from dummy, either adversary may, without 
consultation, call upon the declarer to play or 
not to play the card suggested. 

65. Dummy is not liable to the penalty for a 
revoke ; if he revoke and the error be not dis- 
covered until the trick is turned and quitted, 
the trick must stand. 

66. A card from the declarer's own hand 
is not played until actually quitted ; but should 
he name or touch a card in the dummy, such 



34 AUCTION BRIDGE 

card is considered as played unless he, in touch- 
ing the card, say, '*I arrange,'' or words to that 
effect. If he simultaneously touch two or more 
such cards, he may elect which one to play. 

CARDS EXPOSED BEFORE PLAY 

67. If, after the cards have been dealt, and 
before the trump declaration has been finally 
determined, any player expose a card from his 
hand, either adversary may demand a new 
deal. If the deal be allowed to stand, the ex- 
posed card may be picked up, and cannot be 
called. 

68. If, after the final declaration has been ac- 
cepted and before a card is led, the partner of 
the player who has to lead to the first trick, 
expose a card from his hand, the declarer may, 
instead of calling the card, require the leader 
not to lead the suit of the exposed card ; if so 
exposed by the leader, it is subject to call. 

CARDS EXPOSED DURING PLAY 

69. All cards exposed after the original lead 
by the declarer's adversaries are liable to be 
called, and such cards must be left face upward 
on the table. 



AUCTION BRIDGE 35 

70. The following are exposed cards : 

1st. Two or more cards played at once. 

2d. Any card dropped with its face upward on 
the table, even though snatched up so 
quickly that it cannot be named. 

3d Any card so held by a player that his part- 
ner sees any portion of its face. 

4th. Any card mentioned by either adversary as 
being held by him or his partner. 

71. A card dropped on the floor or elsewhere 
below the table or so held that an adversary 
but not the partner sees it, is not an exposed 
card. 

y2. If two or more cards be played at once 
by either of the declarer's adversaries, the de- 
clarer shall have the right to call any one of 
such cards to the current trick, and the other 
card or cards are exposed. 

73. If, without waiting for his partner to 
play, either of the declarer's adversaries play 
on the table the best card or lead one which 
is a winning card, as against the declarer and 
dummy, and continue (without waiting for his 
partner to play) to lead several such cards, the 
declarer may demand that the partner of the 
player in fault win, if he can, the first or any 
other of these tricks, and the other cards thus 
improperly played are exposed cards. 



36 AUCTION BRIDGE 



74. If either or both of the declarer's adver- 
saries throw his or their cards on the table face 
upward, such cards are exposed and are liable 
to be called ; but if either adversary retain his 
hand, he cannot be forced to abandon it. Cards 
exposed by the declarer are not liable to be 
called. If the declarer say, "I have the rest,'' 
or any other words indicating that the remain- 
ing tricks or any number thereof are his, he 
may be required to place his cards face upward 
on the table. His adversaries are not liable 
to have any of their cards called should they 
thereupon expose them. 

75. If a player who has rendered himself 
liable to have the highest or lowest of a suit 
called (Laws, 82, 88 and 95) fail to play as 
directed, or if, when called on to lead one suit, 
he lead another, having in his hand one or more 
cards of the suit demanded (Laws 76 and 96), 
or if, called upon to win or lose a trick, fail to 
do so when he can (Laws 73, 82 and 95), he 
is liable to the penalty for revoke, unless such 
play be corrected before the trick is turned and 
quitted. 

LEADS OUT OF TURN 

76. If either of the declarer's adversaries 
lead out of turn, the declarer may either treat 



AUCTION BRIDGE 37 

the card so led as an exposed card or may call 
a suit as soon as it is the turn of either adver- 
sary to lead. 

yy. If the declarer lead out of turn, either 
from his own hand or from dummy, he incurs 
no penalty; but he may not rectify the error 
after the second hand has played. 

78. If any player lead out of turn and the 
three others follow, the trick is complete and 
the error cannot be rectified; but if only the 
second, or second and third play to the false 
lead, their cards may be taken back; there is 
no penalty against any except the original of- 
fender, who, if he be one of the declarer's ad- 
versaries, may be penalized as provided in 
Law 76. 

79. A player cannot be compelled to play a 
card which would oblige him to revoke. 

80. The call of an exposed card may be re- 
peated until such card has been played. 

81. If a player called on to lead a suit have 
none of it, the penalty is paid. 

CARDS PLAYED IN ERROR 

82. Should the fourth hand, not being 
dummy or declarer, play before the second, the 
latter may be called upon to play his highest or 



38 AUCTION BRIDGE 



lowest card of the suit played, or to win or 
lose the trick. 

83. If any one, not being dummy, omit play- 
ing to a trick and such error be not corrected 
until he has played to the next, the adversaries 
or either of them may claim a new deal ; should 
they decide that the deal is to stand, the sur- 
plus card at the end of the hand is considered 
to have been played to the imperfect trick, but 
does not constitute a revoke therein. 

84. If any one, except dummy, play two or 
more cards to the same trick and the mistake 
be not corrected, he is answerable for any con- 
sequent revokes he may have made. If during 
the play the error be detected, the tricks may be 
counted face downward, to see if any contain 
more than four cards ; should this be the case, 
the trick which contains a surplus card or 
cards may be examined and the card or cards 
restored to the original holder, who (not being 
dummy) shall be liable for any revoke he may 
meanwhile have made. 



THE REVOKE 



85. A revoke occurs when a player, other 
than dummy, holding one or more cards of 
the suit led, plays a card of a different suit. 



AUCTION BRIDGE 39 

It becomes an established revoke if the trick 
in which it occurs be turned and quitted (i, e., 
the hand removed from the trick after it has 
been turned face downward on the table) ; or 
if either the revoking player or his partner, 
whether in turn or otherwise, lead or play to 
the following trick. 

86. The penalty for each established revoke 
shall be : 

a. When the declarer revokes, his adversaries 

add 150 points to their score in the honor 
column, in addition to any penalty which 
he may have incurred for not making good 
his declaration. 

b. If either of the adversaries revoke, the de- 

clarer may either add 150 points to his score 
in the honor column, or may take three 
tricks from his opponents and add them to 
his own. Such tricks may assist the de- 
clarer to make good his declaration, but 
shall not entitle him to score any bonus in 
the honor column, in the case of the dec- 
laration having been doubled or re-doubled. 

c. When more than one revoke is made during 

the play of the hand, the penalty for each 
revoke after the first shall be 100 points in 
the honor column. 

A revoking side cannot score, except for 
honors in trumps or chicane. 



40 AUCTION BRIDGE 



87. A player may ask his partner if he have 
a card of the suit which he has renounced; 
should the question be asked before the trick is 
turned and quitted, subsequent turning and 
quitting does not establish a revoke, and the 
error may be corrected unless the question be 
answered in the negative, or unless the revok- 
ing player or his partner have led or played to 
the following trick. 

88. If a player correct his mistake in time 
to save a revoke, any player or players who 
have followed him may withdraw their cards 
and substitute others, and the cards so with- 
drawn are not exposed. If the player in fault 
be one of the declarer's adversaries, the card 
played in error is exposed and the declarer may 
call it whenever he pleases ; or he may require 
the offender to play his highest or lowest card 
of the suit to the trick, but this penalty cannot 
be exacted from the declarer. 

89. At the end of a hand the claimants of a 
revoke may search all the tricks. If the cards 
have been mixed, the claim may be urged and 
proved if possible; but no proof is necessary 
and the claim is established if, after it has been 
made, the accused player or his partner mix the 
cards before they have been sufficiently ex- 
amined by the adversaries. 



AUCTION BRIDGE 4I 

90. A revoke must be claimed before the 
cards have been cut for the following deal. 

91. Should both sides revoke, the only score 
permitted shall be for honors in trumps or 
chicane. If one side revoke more than once, 
the penalty of loo points for each extra revoke 
shall then be scored by the other side. 

GENERAL RULES 

92. There must not be any consultation be- 
tween partners as to the enforcement of penal- 
ties. If they do so consult, the penalty is paid. 

93. Once a trick is complete, turned and 
quitted, it must not be looked at (except under 
Law 84) until the end of the hand. 

94. Any player during the play of a trick or 
after the four cards are played, and before 
they are touched for the purpose of gathering 
them together, may demand that the cards be 
placed before their respective players. 

95. If either of the declarer's adversaries, 
prior to his partner playing, call attention to 
the trick, either by saying it is his, or without 
being requested so to do, by naming his card 
or drawing it towards him, the declarer may 
require such partner to play his highest or low- 
est card of the suit led, or to win or lose the 
trick. 



42 AUCTION BRIDGE 

96. Either of the declarer's adversaries may 
call his partner's attention to the fact that he 
is about to play or lead out of turn ; but if, dur- 
ing the play of a hand, he make any unautho- 
rized reference to any incident of the play, or 
of any bid previously made, the declarer may 
call a suit from the adversary whose turn it is 
next to lead. 

97. In all cases where a penalty has been in- 
curred the offender is bound to give reasonable 
time for the decision of his adversaries; but 
if a wrong penalty be demanded, none can be 
enforced. 

98. Where the declarer or his partner has 
incurred a penalty, one of his adversaries may 
say, ''Partner, will you exact the penalty or 
shall I?'' but whether this is said or not, if 
either adversary name the penalty, his decision 
is final. 

NEW CARDS 

99. Unless a pack be imperfect, no player 
shall have the right to call for one new pack. 
If fresh cards be demanded, two packs must 
be furnished. If they be produced during a 
rubber, the adversaries shall have the choice of 
the new cards. If it be the beginning of a new 
rubber, the dealer, whether he or one of his 



AUCTION BRIDGE 43 

adversaries be the party calling for the new 
cards, shall have the choice. New cards must 
be called for before the pack be cut for a new 
deal. 

IOC. A card or cards torn or marked must 
be replaced by agreement or new cards fur- 
nished. 

BYSTANDERS 

loi. While a bystander, by agreement 
among the players, may decide any question, 
he must on no account say anything unless ap- 
pealed to; and if he make any remark which 
calls attention to an oversight affecting the 
score, or to the exaction of a penalty, he is 
liable to be called upon by the players to pay 
the stakes (not extras) lost. 

ETIQUETTE OF AUCTION BRIDGE 

In Bridge slight intimations convey much in- 
formation. A code is compiled for the pur- 
pose of succinctly stating laws and for fixing 
penalties for an offence. To offend against 
a rule of etiquette is far more serious than to 
offend against a law; for, while in the latter 
case the offender is subject to the prescribed 
penalties, in the former his adversaries have 
no redress. 



44 AUCTION BRIDGE 



1. Declarations should be made in a simple 
manner, thus: ''One Heart," ''One No- 
Trump," or"I pass," or "I double." 

2. Aside from his legitimate declaration, a 
player should not give any indication by word 
or gesture as to the nature of his hand, or as 
to his pleasure or displeasure at a play, a bid or 
a double. 

3. If a player demand that the cards be 
placed, he should do so for his own informa- 
tion and not to call his partner's attention to 
any card or play. 

4. No player, other than the declarer, should 
lead until the preceding trick is turned and 
quitted ; nor, after having led a winning card, 
should he draw another from his hand before 
his partner has played to the current trick. 

5. A player should not play a card with such 
emphasis as to draw attention to it. Nor 
should he detach one card from his hand and 
subsequently play another. 

6. A player should not purposely incur a pen- 
alty because he is willing to pay it, nor should 
he make a second revoke to conceal a first. 

7. Players should avoid discussion and re- 
frain from talking during the play, as it may 
be annoying^ to players at the table or to those 
at other tables in the room. 



AUCTION BRIDGE 45 

8. The dummy should not leave his seat for 
the purpose of watching his partner's play, 
neither should he call attention to the score nor 
to any card or cards that he or the other players 
hold, nor to any bid previously made. 

9. If the declarer say "'I have the rest," or 
any words indicating the remaining tricks are 
his, and one or both of the other players should 
expose his or their cards, or request the de- 
clarer to play out the hand, he should not allow 
any information so obtained to influence his 
play nor take any finesse not announced by 
him at the time of making such claim, unless 
it had been previously proved to be a winner. 

10. If a player concede in error one or more 
tricks, the concession should stand. 

11. A player having been cut out of one 
table should not seek admission into another 
unless willing to cut for the privilege of entry. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE GAME 



DESCRIPTION OF THE GAME 

Auction Bridge is played with two packs of 
fifty-two cards each, one of which is shuffled 
while the other is dealt. The pack not in 
play is called the still pack. The cards rank 
from the ace, king, queen, down to the deuce, 
in playing ; but in cutting the king is the high- 
est card, the ace ranking below the deuce. 

The game is played by four persons, pairing 
two against two as partners. If there are 
more than four candidates for play, those who 
shall play the first rubber are decided by cut- 
ting. 

The four players cut for partners, the two 
lowest pairing against the two highest, the 
lowest cut of all having the choice of seats and 
cards, and dealing the first hand. If two cut 
cards of equal value and they are the two high- 
est, it does not matter because they are part- 
ners, and neither of them has any advantage 
over the other as to deal or seats. If the two 
lowest cards cut are a tie as to denomination, 
the rank of the suits, as laid down in Law No. 
14, will decide which of the two shall deal the 

49 



so AUCTION BRIDGE 

first hand. Hearts are lower than diamonds ; 
diamonds lower than clubs, and clubs lower 
than spades. If the ties are intermediates, the 
rank of the suits will determine which shall 
play with the one who has cut the lowest card. 
If there are three cards of equal value in the 
cut, their rank is decided by the suits ; the odd 
cut being the partner of the lowest if he is 
lower than any of the three; otherwise the 
lowest of the three deals, and the next lowest 
is his partner. 

The deal passes in regular rotation to the 
left, and the position of the deal is marked by 
the still pack, which is gathered and shuffled 
by the dealer's partner and placed on his right 
hand, so that it shall be on the left of the 
player whose turn it will be to deal next. 

The dealer presents the pack to the player on 
his right (who is called the "pone") to be 
cut, and at least four cards must be left in each 
packet. The whole fifty-two cards are then 
distributed one at a time, face down and in 
rotation, beginning on the dealer's left, so that 
each player shall receive thirteen. 

No trump is turned. 

All irregularities in the manner of cutting, 
shuffling and dealing will be found fully dealt 
with in the Laws of the game. 



AUCTION BRIDGE 51 

The object of the game is to win tricks 
which have a certain counting value, and also 
to secure certain scores for holding honors 
in the trump suit. The privilege of naming 
the trump suit is bid for, and the highest bid- 
der is called the Declarer. The first six tricks 
taken by the declarer do not count; but all 
over the first six, which are called "the book," 
count towards game according to the value of 
the suit which has been declared as the trump 
for that hand. These suit values are as fol- 
lows for each trick over the book : 



When Spades are trumps 2 points 

" Clubs are trumps 4 ** 

" Diamonds are trumps.... 6 *' 

" Hearts are trumps 8 " 

" there are No Trumps 12 " 



When the declarer does not succeed in mak- 
ing as many tricks as he has bid, his adver- 
saries score 50 points penalty in the honor col- 
umn for each trick by which he fails, but these 
penalties never count toward game and they 
never vary from 50 points a trick, no matter 
what the declaration, unless it was doubled. 
It is 50 points a trick for no-trumps or for 
spades. 



52 AUCTION BRIDGE 



As soon as either side reaches or passes 
thirty points, made by trick scores alone, it is 
a game. No matter how much more than 
thirty points the declarer makes on the hand 
which puts him game, it is all scored ; but it is 
only counted as one game. If the partners 
were 24 up on the score, and made five by 
cards at no-trump, worth 60, their total would 
be 84, but it would be only one game. 

As soon as two games are won by the same 
partners, that ends the rubber. If they are 
the two first games, the third is not played. 
The winners of the rubber add 250 points to 
their score as bonus. 

In addition to the points won in tricks there 
are certain additional scores for honors, and 
for winning twelve tricks, called Little Slam, 
or all thirteen tricks, called Grand Slam, and 
also for the misfortune of not having a single 
trump dealt you, which is called Chicane. All 
these are called "honor scores," and although 
they do not count anything towards winning 
the game, they materially add to the value of 
the rubber, as they are all added in at the end. 
All penalties are scored in the honor column. 

The honors in the trump suit are the ace, 
king, queen, jack, ten. When there are no 
trumps, the four aces are the only honors. 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



53 



The following table shows the value of these 
honors, according to their distribution : 

TABLE OF HONOR VALUES 



If the Trump Suit is — 



Three Honors count 

Four Honors count 

Five Honors count 

Four Honors in one hand count. . . . . 
Four Honors in one hand, fifth in 

Partner* s hand, count 

Five honors in one hand count 



♦ 


4 





4 


8 


12 


8 


16 


24 


10 


20 


30 


16 


32 


48 


18 


36 


54 


20 


40 


60 



^ 



16 
32 
40 
64 

72 
80 



When there are No Trumps — 



Three Aces between Partners count. 
Four Aces between Partners count. . . 
Four Aces in one hand count 



30 

40 
100 



Chicane counts the same as Three Honors. 
Little Slam counts 20. | Grand Slam counts 40. 



It IS not necessary to memorize these values 
before one can play, as they will be found on 
all the score-pads used for keeping the game. 

BIDDING 

After the cards are all dealt, each player 
picks up and sorts his hand. The dealer is 
obliged to make the first declaration, and it 



54 AUCTION BRIDGE 

must be an offer to make at least the odd trick 
with a named suit for trumps, or at no-trumps. 
The dealer may name any suit he Hkes and any 
number of tricks he thinks he can make over 
the book, but he must bid something. He is 
the only player that cannot pass without bid- 
ding, and his declaration should be either a 
statement of his intention with regard to the 
trump he would prefer, or it should be an in- 
timation to his partner as to the general char- 
acter of his hand. 

With a very poor hand, the dealer would bid 
nothing higher than the odd trick in spades; 
because that is the cheapest way out of his 
difficulty, and warns his partner of his weak- 
ness at the same time. But if he is strong 
enough in spades to be reasonably sure of 
the odd trick, with average assistance from his 
partner, he would bid two in spades, instead 
of the odd trick only. This gives the partner 
some intimation of the strength of the suit, 
although it is of little value as a trump. 

With good cards in the red suits, he would 
name them at once, because such hands are 
valuable. As we shall see when we come to 
the tactics of the game, it is a mistake to un- 
derbid the hand, intending to name a better 
suit when someone else has bid, as the ad- 



AUCTION BRIDGE 55 

versaries may leave you with your first bid, 
so as to prevent you from making a good 
score. The number of tricks that the dealer 
should ofifer in a red suit, or at no-trump, 
must also be left until we come to the chapter 
devoted to that part of the subject. 

The dealer having made a declaration of 
some sort, the player on his left must either 
pass, or make a better declaration, or 
"double." As no one but the dealer is obliged 
to make a declaration, passing may either 
mean that the player is satisfied with the trump 
named, or that he can do nothing better. 
Passing once does not prevent him from com- 
ing into the bidding later if some other player 
overbids the dealer. Doubling means that 
the doubler believes the bidder will fail in his 
undertaking. 

In passing, some persons insist that it is bet- 
ter to use the word *'No,'' as the word "pass" 
may be confused with "hearts." This seems 
rather fanciful, as one never says "one in 
pass," but must always name the number of 
tricks in hearts. 

In doubling, the player must remember that 
it is imperative to name the number of tricks 
doubled. It is not enough to say "I double." 
One must always say, "I double two hearts." 



56 AUCTION BRIDGE 



Whatever the player on the dealer's left 
may do, the next player to his left again has 
the same chance in his turn to pass or to bid 
higher. Being the dealer's partner, he can- 
not double the dealer's bid ; because no player 
is allowed to double his partner. If the trump 
named by his partner suits him, the best thing 
is to pass, unless he wishes to shut out further 
bids, or his partner has been overbid. Suppose 
the dealer declared to make the odd in dia- 
monds, and the next player passed. The 
dealer's partner could pass, or bid two or three 
tricks in diamonds, or he could change the 
suit or go no-trumps ; but he could not double. 

The fourth player then has the same chance 
to bid higher, to pass, or to double the adver- 
saries' declaration. 

If a declaration, no matter by whom made, 
is not overbid by a better one, or the number 
of tricks is not increased by the partner, 
that declaration is final ; because no player can 
change his own bid in any way unless he has 
been overbid or doubled by another player in 
the meantime. 

There is no limit to the number of times that 
a player may bid if he is overbid ; but each 
succeeding bid must be higher than the last. 
Whenever the point value is equal, the one 



AUCTION BRIDGE 57 

who offers to take the greater number of 
tricks to reach those points is the higher bid- 
der. If the point value is not equal, the higher 
point value is the higher bid, regardless of the 
suit or of the number of tricks. 

Suppose the dealer starts by declaring to 
make the odd in diamonds, and that the next 
player says two in clubs. Although the club 
suit is lower in rank than the diamond, two 
tricks in clubs are worth eight, as against the 
six which the odd in diamonds is worth. 
Suppose the dealer's partner now offers one 
in no-trumps, worth twelve, and the fourth 
hand bids three in clubs. Although three in 
clubs are worth no more than one at no- 
trumps, the bid outranks it in trick-taking. 

If a player doubles, only one re-double is 
allowed. Although one cannot double one's 
partner's bid, one can re-double the adver- 
sary's double. Doubling is overbidding only 
in the sense that it opens the way for further 
bidding. After a double or re-double, any 
player can make a bid which is higher than 
the bid which has just been doubled, the 
doubling itself being disregarded; because 
doubling does not affect the rank of the bids. 

Suppose the dealer bids the odd in diamonds, 
doubled by the player on his left. The double 



S8 AUCTION BRIDGE 

opens the way for any player, including the 
dealer, to overbid the odd in diamonds. Sup- 
pose the dealer's partner offers to make the 
odd in hearts. This outbids the double; be- 
cause, for the purpose of bidding, the doubled 
odd in diamonds is still worth six points only ; 
the effects of doubling, as far as points are 
concerned, being restricted entirely to the 
score, as will be explained presently. 

Even if a double is re-doubled, the increased 
value of the tricks is disregarded in any fur- 
ther bidding. If the dealer bids one in hearts 
and the next player doubles, the dealer's part- 
ner re-doubling, the fourth player can bid two 
in clubs, worth eight only; because it outbids 
the original odd in hearts. 

The bidding is sometimes done with the 
full knowledge that it cannot succeed, the ob- 
ject being to keep the game in. This will be 
more fully explained when we come to the 
chapter on tactics. As it is only the success- 
ful bidder's side that can score anything 
towards game, no matter how many tricks are 
won and lost, it is very important not to let 
players make a declaration that will put them 
out, especially on the rubber game; because 
anything is better as a chance than a rubber 
that is surely lost. 



AUCTION BRIDGE 59 

Suppose that AB are 24 up, and YZ are 22 
up. If AB bid the odd in diamonds, and make 
it, they win the game and rubber. YZ have 
nothing in their cards, and are sure to lose 
on any declaration they make, yet they must 
outbid AB, so as to keep the game in, on the 
chance that YZ may get better cards next deal. 
Therefore YZ will bid the odd in hearts, or at 
no-trumps, or two by cards, or anything which 
will take the declaration away from AB, or 
else compel AB to overbid their hands. 

ORDER OF PLAY 

At the conclusion of the bidding, the highest 
bid made is known as the ''winning declara- 
tion,'' even if it is doubled, because it wins the 
privilege of playing the combined hands and of 
scoring toward game. One of the partners 
who make this winning declaration must be the 
dummy for that deal, while the other becomes 
the declarer, and the number of tricks they have 
named in their bid is called their "contract." 

The declarer is always the partner who first 
named the suit that becomes the winning decla- 
ration, no matter who dealt the cards. The 
player on his left leads for the first trick and 
the declarer plays his own hand, held up, com- 
bined with his partner's hand, which is laid on 



6o AUCTION BRIDGE 

the table face up as soon as a card is led, and is 
known as the dummy. The declarer plays 
dummy's cards for him throughout the entire 
deal. 

It should be observed that it is not neces- 
sarily the highest bidder that becomes the de- 
clarer, because sometimes partners both make 
declarations in the same suit. Suppose the 
dealer bids the odd at no-trumps ; second man 
bids two in hearts, and the dealer's partner out- 
bids that by declaring two at no-trumps, which 
is the highest bid made: it is the dealer, and 
not his partner, that becomes declarer ; because 
it was the dealer that first named the winning 
declaration, no-trumps. 

If a player is compelled to bid up to three 
in hearts and is then doubled, no one going 
higher, the one who is doubled becomes de- 
clarer, not the player who doubled him; be- 
cause doubling is not a higher bid, but only an 
expression of opinion that the contract cannot 
be carried out. 

When a player doubles, it does not mean 
that he will make the odd trick, but that the 
declaring side will not make as many tricks 
as it has undertaken to make. Suppose the 
dealer has bid three by cards in hearts and is 
doubled. This means that the adversary who 



AUCTION BRIDGE 6l 

doubles him thinks he may make the odd 
trick, or even two by cards; but he does not 
beHeve that he can make three tricks. In 
other words, doubhng means that the declara- 
tion will fail. Re-doubling means that the 
doubler is mistaken. 

When everyone at the table is content, and 
will bid no higher, the player to the left of the 
declarer leads any card he pleases for the first 
trick, and then the Dummy's cards are laid 
down, sorted into suits, the trumps to the 
right. From that point on, declarer manages 
the two hands, playing whatever card he 
thinks best from Dummy, after comparing 
Dummy's cards with his own. The player 
who held Dummy's cards has nothing further 
to do with the game for that deal, not being 
allowed to make any remarks or suggestions 
about the play. 

Dummy may ask his partner if he has none 
of a suit to which he renounces, so as to save 
a revoke, the usual formula being, "No 
spades. Partner?" Dummy may also protest 
against the adversaries' enforcing a penalty to 
which they are not entitled, and may call at- 
tention to a trick which is not complete. 
Apart from this, he is supposed to be blind 
and deaf. 



62 AUCTION BRIDGE 



Each player in turn must follow suit if he 
can, and the highest card played, if of the suit 
led, wins the trick, trumps winning all other 
suits. The winner of one trick leads for the 
next, and so on, until all thirteen tricks have 
been taken in. 

Declarer gathers the tricks for his side, 
keeping them separate, so that they may be 
readily counted. Either adversary may gather 
for himself and his partner ; but all their tricks 
must be kept on the same side of the table. 
As soon as one side wins six tricks, it is usual 
to bunch them together, forming a *'book," 
so that all the tricks over the book may be 
the more easily counted. 

The penalty for a revoke, which is a re- 
nounce in error, not corrected in time, is 150 
points in the honor column for the first revoke 
and 100 points for each additional revoke in 
the same hand. The declarer, however, has 
the option of taking three actual tricks instead 
of the 150 points, for the first revoke, but he 
cannot take anything but the 100 points for 
any further revokes. His adversaries cannot 
take tricks as revoke penalties under any cir- 
cumstances, they being restricted to the points. 

The revoking side can score nothing but 
actual honors held, or chicane. If it is the de- 



AUCTION BRIDGE 63 

clarer who is in error, he cannot score any- 
thing toward game, no matter how many tricks 
he wins or what his contract is. If it is one of 
his adversaries who revokes, they cannot score 
any penalties, no matter how much they may 
defeat the declaration. 

If the declarer takes tricks as the revoke 
penalty he cannot score any bonus for them in 
case he has been doubled, but he may score the 
bonus of 50 points for all tricks won in the 
course of the play if he has been doubled. 
Suppose the contract is two in diamonds and 
he makes four by cards after being doubled 
and takes three tricks for the revoke. He 
scores seven tricks at 12 each toward game, 
50 penalty for carrying out his contract after 
being doubled, 50 each for the two tricks he 
won over his contract by making four by 
cards ; but no 50 for any of the three tricks he 
took in revoke penalty. All he gets for them 
is their doubled value, 12 points each toward 
game. For this reason it is always better to 
take the 150 points when one can go game 
without the assistance of the penalty tricks. 

SCORING 

At the end of the hand, the honors are 
claimed, and the scores are then put down on 



64 AUCTION BRIDGE 

a score-pad printed for the purpose. The 
score sheet has two parallel columns, one for 
each side, the side keeping the score being 
"we," and the opponents "they." All trick 
scores are entered "below the line," and all 
honor scores and penalties "above the line," 
as shown in the example on page 67. 

If the declarer succeeds, after being 
doubled, he scores his tricks at double value: 
12 for diamonds, 16 for hearts, and so on, as 
the case may be; but he does not double the 
value of the honors. In addition to this, he 
scores 50 points penalty above the line. If 
he gets more than he declared to make, he 
gets an additional 50 points for each trick. 
Suppose he bid two in hearts and was doubled. 
If he gets two by cards, he gets 32 below and 
50 above. If he gets three by cards, he scores 
48 below and 100 above. These penalty points 
never count towards game, but always go with 
the honors. 

If the declarer fails, not being doubled, he 
scores nothing for tricks, no matter how many 
he makes ; but his adversaries score 50 points 
in the honor column for each trick by which 
the declaration falls short. If they have 
doubled they score double fifty, or a hundred. 
Suppose the declaration is four in hearts, 



AUCTION BRIDGE 65 

doubled, and that the declarer gets two by 
cards only. He scores nothing for those two 
tricks ; but his adversaries score 200 above the 
line for doubling. Had they not doubled they 
would have scored 100 only, which is 50 
each for the two tricks that the declarer fell 
short. 

Honors are claimed and scored as held, 
whether the declaration succeeds or not. 

If the declarer does not even make the odd 
trick, his adversaries still score nothing below 
the line. All they get is the 50 points a trick 
penalty. Suppose the bid is two in no-trumps, 
and the adversaries win two by cards, leaving 
the bidder five tricks only, when he declared 
to win eight. The bidder scores nothing for 
tricks, but his adversaries score 150 in honors 
for penalty. 

Beginners often have trouble with the scor- 
ing when the situation is at all complicated, 
especially when the declarer fails after being 
doubled and when there is a revoke penalty to 
be considered. A few examples may make the 
matter clearer. 

(i.) YZ are the declarers and AB their 
adversaries. The contract is to make three at 
no-trumps, no doubling. YZ win six tricks 
only, instead of the nine they contracted for, 



66 AUCTION BRIDGE 



but they catch AB in a revoke. If YZ take 
three tricks, they can use them to fulfil their 
contract and can score three by cards, 36 
points, toward game. If they take the 150 
points these points are put in the honor column 
and there is nothing to score for tricks. At 
the same time, the adversaries cannot score 
anything for defeating the declaration by three 
tricks, because they revoked. In such cases 
it is better for the dealer to take the tricks, as 
they win a game, perhaps the rubber. 

(2.) YZ contract to make three by cards at 
no-trump and are doubled. They make eight 
tricks only, but AB revoke. YZ take three 
tricks and score for five by cards, at 24 a trick, 
toward game, but they get no bonus of 50 
points for fulfilling their contract after being 
doubled, because the tricks that fulfilled the 
contract were taken in penalty for a revoke and 
not in play. 

A good general rule for the declarer is to 
take the tricks when his contract fails without 
them, or when they will give him the game, 
but otherwise to take the points. Take a case 
like this : 

(3.) YZ declare to make three in hearts 
and win four by cards, after being doubled, 
but AB revoke. YZ score four by cards in 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



67 



hearts at double value, 64 toward game and 
take 50 penalty in the honor column for ful- 
filling their contract after being doubled and 
50 more for the extra trick over their con- 
tract, won in play, and then 150 for the re- 
voke penalty. 

In order that the reader may have a clear 
idea of how the scores are kept, an example 
is given in the margin. It is a very short 
game, but sufficient for the purpose of illus- 
tration. 



WE 


THEY 


— 


250 


— 


48 


50 


20 


200 


32 


30 


16 


24 


40 


— 


36 


304 


+442 


— 


—304 


138 



First Deal. — We bid two in 
no-trumps and held three aces ; 
24 below the line and 30 above. 

Second Deal. — They bid 
three in hearts, were doubled, 
and made the odd trick only, 
holding simple honors. Noth- 
ing scored below the line on 
either side, because the bidder 
failed; but they got 16 for 
honors, and we got 200 above 
the line; 50 points penalty for 
each of the two tricks by which 
the bidder failed, doubled. 

Third Deal.— They bid 
three in hearts, made five by 
cards and four honors; 40 be- 
low the line and 32 above. 
This wins the first game, and 
a line is drawn under it. 



68 AUCTION BRIDGE 

Fourth Deal. — They bid three at no-trumps, and 
made two by cards only; aces easy, each side hav- 
ing two. Nothing to score but the 50 points penalty 
for WE, because the bid failed by one trick. 

Fifth Deal. — They bid four in diamonds, made 
a Little Slam, and had four honors in one hand; 
36 below the line, winning the second game, 20 above 
the line for the Little Slam, and 48 for honors. 

As THEY have won two games, that ends 
the rubber, and they add 250 points bonus. 
The scores of each side are now added up, 
the lesser total deducted from the greater, and 
the difference, which is 138 points, is the value 
of the rubber. 

The result of the rubber is usually trans- 
ferred to a wash-book, or flogger, upon which 
its value in points or in cash is set down oppo- 
site the names of the winners and losers as 
minus or plus. These entries can be carried 
on until the party breaks up, the top of 
each column being used to show the value 
of the rubber, which is added to or de- 
ducted from the previous scores of each 
player. The following is a sample of a 
wash-book for a table at which six players 
were engaged: 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



69 



Values:— 140 325 280 360 


Jones... 


+ 140 


+465 


+465 


+825 


Green . . 


+ 140 


+ 140 


—140 


—500 


White.. 


—140 


+ 185 


+ 185 


—175 


Brown.. 


—140 


—140 


+140 


+500 


Black . . 




—325 


— 45 


— 45 


Smith . . 




—325 


—605 


—605 



This wash-book can be checked at any time 
by seeing that the plus and minus scores bal- 
ance. In the second rubber, Jones and White 
beat Black and Smith. In the third, Brown 
and Black beat Green and Smith. In the 
fourth, Jones and Brown beat Green and 
White. 

As the value of the rubber sometimes runs 
into large figures, it is advisable to play for 
about one-fourth of the points that one is ac- 
customed to at straight Bridge. 

With beginners, the value of the rubbers will 
probably run into large figures, 1,000 points 
not being uncommon and 650 about the aver- 
age. But as players advance in skill and learn 
not to throw good money after bad by over- 
bidding their hands and trying to grasp the 
declaration when they are not strong enough 
for it, or by trying to keep the flag flying when 



70 AUCTION BRIDGE 

all hope is gone, the value of the rubbers will 
be found to decrease steadily. Among good 
players they will not average more than 420 
points. 

Persons who are in the habit of playing 
straight bridge for a stake will find that penny 
auction is about the same as two-and-a-half 
bridge. Some think that auction should be 
about half the bridge stakes, on account of the 
longer time it takes to play a rubber. 



TACTICS OF THE GAME 



TACTICS OF THE GAME 

There are certain recognized principles of 
play, usually spoken of as conventionalities, in 
all games of cards, and it is a social duty that 
everyone owes to others to learn these con- 
ventionalities before sitting down to play in 
company. To undertake to make up a rubber 
at Auction Bridge without knowing anything 
of its principles, is as bad as offering to dance 
with a partner without knowing any of the 
steps. 

While a great deal must be left to be gained 
from experience at the card table, reverses of 
fortune usually ripening the judgment, there 
are many things which can be learned from 
the text-book, and there are others of which 
the text-book can give hints which are suffi- 
cient to enable a player to recognize the gen- 
eral situation in actual play. 

All examples in a text-book should be gone 
over with the actual cards, and if the reader 
will take the trouble to study the following 
tactics with the cards before him, the princi- 
ples enunciated should be mastered without 
much difficulty, and the result should be a cer* 

73 



74 AUCTION BRIDGE 



tain confidence in one's ability to play cor- 
rectly. 

The most important element in Auction 
Bridge is the bidding, and we shall begin with 
that. 

BIDDING 

There are several things to be constantly 
kept in view in bidding. The most important 
is to secure the privilege of making the decla- 
ration that promises the best results for your 
own hand. The next is to give your partner 
some idea of what you hold, so that he may 
assist you in one of two ways — in bidding high 
enough to get the declaration, or in defeating 
the adversaries in the play of the hand if they 
outbid you. Another important point is to 
prevent the adversaries from giving informa- 
tion to each other which might be more useful 
to them in playing against you than it would 
be to you in the bidding. Still another con- 
sideration is to keep the other side from going 
out on its own bid if you can. 

There is one thing that the auction bridge 
player very soon learns, and that is that the 
declaration which promises the best results 
may be one that leaves the play of the com- 
bined hands to the adversaries. More points 



AUCTION BRIDGE 75 

are won and larger rubbers are gained by de- 
feating the declaration than by playing it your- 
self. Every time they fail to carry out their 
contract, you get 50 points a trick, and if you 
have doubled them after they have bid one 
trick too many, you get 100 points a trick if 
you defeat them. Their gain is from twelve 
down to two points a trick; yours is always 
fifty. 

Before going into the motives that prompt a 
player to make certain bids at certain times, it 
will be necessary to explain clearly the dif- 
ference between the first and the second round 
of bids and also the diflference between a legiti- 
mate bid and a bluff. Quite as many bids are 
made for the purpose of inducing the oppo- 
nents to go one trick higher as are made in the 
hope of securing the winning declaration your- 
self. Many a double is merely to frighten a 
bidder off a suit which his partner is quite 
safe in. 

FIRST BIDDER 

We shall begin with the most valuable dec- 
larations first; not only because they win the 
most points, but because they frequently shut 
out minor and informatory declarations by the 
adversaries. As a general rule, the dealer 
should bid his hand to its full value at once. 



76 AUCTION BRIDGE 



when he has either a no-trumper or a good red 
make. 

If you are the dealer, and have a good dia- 
mond hand, on which you bid the odd trick 
only, you leave the second player an oppor- 
tunity to bid the odd at no-trumps or hearts, 
or two in clubs. While you or your partner 
may be able to outbid any of these by increas- 
ing your original declaration to two or more 
in diamonds, nothing you can do will undo the 
injury you have done by allowing the second 
bidder to give his partner an indication of his 
strong suit. 

Had you bid two in diamonds at the start, 
you would have compelled the second bidder 
to pass, or else to bid higher. If he was able 
to bid higher, it does not matter; because he 
would have outbid you and taken the declara- 
tion away from you in any case. But if his 
bid was merely to convey information to his 
partner, you would have shut him out. What 
is true of the original bids is also true of the 
overbids, as we shall see presently. 

Before taking up the consideration of bids 
which are based on inferences from other 
declarations, the player should be able to rec- 
ognize hands which would justify certain 
declarations under ordinary circumstances. 



AUCTION BRIDGE yy 

In auction bridge there is the greatest dif- 
ference in the world between a suit declaration 
and a no-trumper, because on the first round of 
the bidding the suit declaration is very often 
nothing but information giving, whereas the 
no-trumper means business right from the 
jump. The one gives information to the part- 
ner as to where the tricks can be won, while 
the other gives no information, but is willing 
to receive it. 

A suit declaration, on the first round, is 
practically an invitation to the partner to go 
no-trumps, and it is only on the second round 
that the suit is persevered in if it is the inten- 
tion of the bidder to make it the trump suit 
in preference to a no-trumper, even if that be 
offered by his partner, or in preference to let- 
ting the adversaries have the winning declara- 
tion for that deal. 

This distinction between the first and second 
bids will be more clearly explained after we 
have come to an understanding as to what we 
are talking about w^hen we speak of no- 
trumpers, or heart makes, or diamond declara- 
tions. The characteristics of such hands 
should be sufficiently familiar to the reader to 
enable him to follow the argument and to rec- 
ognize the combinations of cards which would 



78 AUCTION BRIDGE 



justify declarations under ordinary circum- 
stances. Some hands are always good no- 
trumpers, or heart makes, because of the prob- 
ability that they are strong enough to win at 
least the odd trick. Hands which are above 
this standard should be good enough for more 
than the odd trick; therefore every player 
should be thoroughly familiar with the mini- 
mum strength for an odd-trick declaration, so 
that he may be able to judge how much more 
than the odd trick he would be justified in bid- 
ding on some hands. 

NO TRUMP DECLARATIONS 

The best no-trumpers are hands in which 
the strength is scattered among at least three 
suits. When the strength of the hand is all 
massed in one suit, it is usually better to make 
that suit the trump. 

One great advantage of the successful bid- 
der, often under-estimated, is that he obtains 
the privilege of playing his own hand in com- 
bination with an exposed hand, the Dummy's. 
Good players consider this equal to a trick a 
deal, the cards being equal. 

Absolutely equal cards would be to give each 
player at the table one ace, one king, one queen, 
and so on down to the deuce. If the number 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



79 



in the suits and the combinations with the part- 
ner's hand were also equal, we should have 
some such distribution as this : 










K 7 5 
10 9 3 
A J 6 2 
Q 8 4 










Y 




V 

* 




10 9 3 
K 7 5 
Q S 4 
A J 6 2 


A 


B 
Z 





A J 6 2 

Q 8 4 
K 7 5 
10 9 3 







Q 8 4 
A J 6 2 

10 9 3 
K 7 5 





If we suppose that this hand is to be played 
as a no-trumper, it does not matter which of 
the four is the declarer; he will win at least 
the odd trick, almost certainly two by cards, 
and very likely the game, if the player on his 
left opens conventionally with his longest suit, 
no matter what he and his partner do after- 
ward. Give the hand to some Bridge players, 
tell them it is a no-trumper, and let them 
try it. 

It will greatly assist the beginner to remem- 



8o AUCTION BRIDGE 



ber that the standard no-trumper is three aces, 
or their equivalent. This means at least three 
sure tricks in three different suits. 

As one seldom holds exactly three aces, it 
is necessary to be familiar with the combina- 
tions that are equal to an ace in certainty of 
trick-taking. Such as king, queen, or king, 
jack, ten, or queen, jack, ten, are easily recog- 
nized. Length is in itself protection; four to 
a king being considered safe, and even three 
to the queen, ten, may be chanced; but not 
unless under compulsion to stretch a point. 

If we take such a hand as tlie following: 




we can easily determine that it is equal to an 
ace in three suits, as it is certain to win at least 
one trick in each. This hand is also a king 
above the average in high cards, because it con- 
tains ace, king, king, queen, jack, ten, nine, 
distributed among the various suits. 



AUCTION BRIDGE 8l 

A king above the average should be good 
for a trick above the average, leaving the ad- 
vantage of the play for good measure, and any 
hand which is a trick above average and pro- 
tected in three suits should declare no-trumps. 

Beginners are usually afraid to make it no- 
trumps if they are very weak in one suit ; but 
you can always trust your partner for one suit. 
It is dangerous to trust him for two, unless 
your own hand is so strong in the other two as 
to justify the risk. All you ask him to do is to 
protect the suit in which you have nothing; 
you do not ask him to make three or four tricks 
in it. 

Protection in a suit means that you can stop 
the adversaries from winning every trick in it. 
They may win one or two rounds, but if you 
are really protected you should be able to win 
the third or fourth round, at the latest. 

As three aces would be a no-trumper, so 
would two aces and a king, queen suit, or one 
ace and two king, queen suits. The same aces 
with any equally strong suit would be a good 
no-trumper, such as two aces and king, jack, 
ten in another suit, or even queen, jack, ten; 
but a no-trumper without an ace is likely to 
prove expensive. 

Four aces is always a no-trumper unless the 



82 AUCTION BRIDGE 



hearts are strong enough to win the game. 
Beginners, and those who have played Bridge, 
should observe that the honor score for four 
aces in one hand is not of much value in itself ; 
because if the declaration loses two by cards 
the adversaries will score lOO in the honor col- 
umn for penalty. 

When the eye has been trained to recognize 
any hand which is a king above the average, 
and protected in three suits, as a no-trumper 
for the odd trick, it will be an easy matter to 
see that any hand which is still stronger than 
this should be willing to bid two at no-trumps, 
or even more. Take such cards as these : 




There are two actual aces, and the king and 
queen of hearts are equal to an ace; enough 
for a no-trump bid. But you have the king 
and queen of spades besides, so that the hand 
should justify a bid of two or even three tricks 
at no-trump. 



AUCTION BRIDGE 83 

Occasionally one may bid no-trumps on two 
suits only, provided neither of the weak suits 
has been declared by an adversary. The long 
and strong suit in such a declaration would 
of course be black, or the hand would be 
a red make. Take such a hand as the fol- 
lowing : 




The dealer might bid two in spades in order 
to show his strength; but if he was not over- 
bid he would have to play the hand as a spade, 
which might prove to be a wasted opportunity. 
With seven tricks in his own cards, the dealer 
should bid at least two at no-trumps, and trust 
his partner to stop whichever suit is opened 
against him. When such bids are made, the 
adversaries often lead the dealer's re-entry 
suits, hearts in this case. The high original bid 
prevents the adversaries from declaring any 
informatory suits. They would have to bid 
at least four by cards in diamonds to shut 



84 Auction bridge 



out a no-trumper like this, as it is almost im- 
possible that they could make three in hearts 
against it. 

As one becomes more familiar with the tac- 
tics of the game it will be found that one can 
well afford to stretch a point in the declaration 
of no-trumps on the first round of the bids, 
and many players will declare no-trumps freely 
on hands which are not a card above average, 
provided the strength is distributed among 
three suits. Take this example : 




These cards are not even a spot above aver- 
age, there being just one of each denomination, 
but the strength is well distributed and an im- 
mediate bid of no-trumps gives one a grip on 
the situation that nothing else will do. 

RED SUIT DECLARATIONS 

As the declaration of a red suit has a differ- 
ent meaning on the first and second rounds of 



AUCTION BRIDGE 85 

the bidding, or rather as the meaning may not 
be clear to the partner until the second round, 
the principles on which suits are declared 
should be clearly understood, and the first and 
second bids should be studied separately. 

THE FIRST ROUND 

Those who are accustomed to straight bridge 
usually find a difficulty in passing on hands 
which would be a good red-suit declaration at 
that game. Take these cards for an example : 




At straight bridge this is unquestionably a 
good heart make, but never, on the first round 
of the bidding, at auction. If there were only 
one bid and that ended it, the case would be 
different, but with such cards as these the 
player should wait until the second round to 
declare hearts and then only if he thinks, after 
hearing the other declarations, that it would be 



86 AUCTION BRIDGE 

good for two by cards, because it must be re- 
membered that one seldom gets the winning 
declaration for just the odd trick. 

The proper declaration on the foregoing 
hand is one in clubs, because that is the suit in 
which you have some winning cards, cards that 
are good for tricks, regardless of the declara- 
tion made by others. 

To understand the reason for this, one must 
keep continually in view that the first round 
of the bidding is for the purpose of leading up 
to a no-trumper if possible and that when a 
player has not a no-trumper himself he still 
hopes for one in his partner's hand and ac- 
cordingly gives him all the information he can 
as to his own strength. But the strength 
wanted in a no-trumper is not six cards to a 
ten, but aces and kings. Even queens are of 
no value in the original bids. 

The error into which most persons fall lies 
in supposing that it is good enough to have 
a suit stopped and that four to a jack or ten 
will usually do this. As part of the hand that 
declares the no-trumper, this is true ; but as in- 
formation conveyed to the hand that wants 
that suit to fill out a no-trumper, it is false. 

If the partner is induced to go no-trumps by 
your naming a suit that you have surely 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



87 



Stopped, and is over-called by a suit declarer, 
the next question that will present itself to him 
will be that of doubling, and in his doubling he 
will be depending on you for at least one sure 
trick in the suit you have named. In this he 
will be misled if you have declared a suit of 
six to the ten, because you cannot win a trick 
in it until some other player has cleared it up 
for you and that fourth round may never 
come. 

It is a fundamental principle, therefore, never 
to name a suit on the first round except under 
one of two conditions: That you intend to 
stick to that suit, even if you have to over-call 
your partner's declaration of one or two in no- 
trumps, or unless you have a certain trick in 
it, such as the ace, or both king and queen, 
and want your partner to go no-trumps. 

Take a hand like this : 




This is a heart, not a no-trumper, and no 



88 AUCTION BRIDGE 



matter who declares clubs, or diamonds, or no- 
trumps, you are going to outbid them and make 
it hearts, or else they are going so high that 
you can double and defeat the declaration 
easily. If your partner has a no-trumper, it is 
a sure game hand in hearts and you should 
over-call him. If he persists after that he 
must have all the suits. 

Your persistence in returning to the suit first 
declared shows your partner the difference be- 
tween the declaration made on high cards and 
that made on length, and marks the distinction 
between an invitation to him to go no-trumps 
and a wish to name a trump suit for your own 
hand. If he has a no-trumper to help out your 
red make, what more do you want? 

What is true of the heart suit is largely true 
of diamonds, but it is harder to over-call a no- 
trumper with diamonds, on account of the de- 
creased value of the tricks. One should never 
call diamonds on the first round of the bidding 
without the ace, or king-queen-ten, or king 
queen at least, unless you are ready to over- 
call a no-trumper of your partner's or the ad- 
versary's. If you do not stick to the suit and 
declare it again on the second round, your 
partner will assume that your original call was 
on winning cards and he will count on you for 



AUCTION BRIDGE 89 

a sure trick in the suit on the first or at the 
latest on the second round of it. 

Remember that it is useless to call a suit as a 
trump suit when you cannot undertake to make 
more than the odd trick with your cards, be- 
cause it is practically certain that you will 
never be allowed to take the winning dec- 
laration for one tiick in anything but no- 
trumps. 

It is of the greatest importance to get this 
principle clearly fixed in the mind, that the 
first call of a suit, not followed by a second 
call in the same suit, means high cards which 
you hope to be useful as part of a no-trumper 
in your partner's hand ; but a second call in the 
same suit means that you want that suit for the 
trump and think it better than a no-trumper, 
so far as the bidding has then gone. 

When two suits are about equal, it is usual 
to name the weaker first, because that leaves 
room to shift if you are doubled. If you hold 
four to the ace-queen in hearts and diamonds, 
your first call should be the diamond. Then, 
if you are doubled, which is always possible, 
you can shift to hearts by bidding one trick 
only. Had you started with the hearts and 
been doubled, you would have had to bid two 
in diamonds to get out of it. By beginning 



90 AUCTION BRIDGE 



with the weaker of two suits you can often 
show your partner your strength in both. If 
neither suit is followed up, he can read you 
for high cards only, and not for length. 

With two suits nearly equal and both strong 
in high cards, the declaration of the cheaper 
suit first has the advantage of coaxing the ad- 
versaries to show their hands, which will be 
to your benefit, as information is always of 
more value to a strong hand than to a weak 
one. If your one diamond is over-called by 
two in clubs, you get a line on the situation and 
your partner's call will be a further guide. If 
you are over-called in hearts, you are in an 
excellent position to defeat the declaration, 
because your partner knows your side suit, dia- 
monds. If a no-trumper is bid against you, 
your partner knows what to lead ; your unnamed 
heart suit lies back like a masked battery. 

As the dealer is obliged to make a declara- 
tion of some kind, whether he has a trick in his 
hand or not, his resource when he has nothing 
is to call one in spades. This simply means 
that he will wait until he sees what the others 
do. As already pointed out, if he has such 
strength in spades that they would make a sub- 
stantial part of a no-trumper, such as the fol- 
lowing cards : 



AUCTION BRIDGE QI 




he should declare two in spades, to distinguish 
it from the ordinary spade call, which is noth- 
ing but a pass. Two in spades should never be 
called unless there is unusual strength in the 
suit in high cards. Two tricks is not enough, 
and the ace-king-queen is probably the mini- 
mum that would justify a call of two spades, 
or else a suit of seven or eight to the ace-king, 
because a spade is never called in the hope that 
it will be the trump suit, nor with any inten- 
tion of persevering in it if the partner calls 
anything better. 

Some players have a very bad habit of bid- 
ding one spade whenever they have an average 
hand. Bridge players bid one spade on any 
hand with which they would pass the make at 
straight bridge. Their theory is that they like 
to wait until they see what others will do and 
that they may catch an adversary unaware by 
concealing their strength instead of risking a 



92 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



declaration themselves. But the modern 
player, always working toward that possible 
no-trumper, will never bid one in spades if he 
has an ace in his hand, or a king-queen suit, 
unless that suit is nothing but spades. 

The proper time to bid one spade is when 
you have a suit which you are willing to make 
the trump on a contract for two by cards at 
the least, but which has not the top cards in 
it. Some one must have the aces if you have 
none and there is little danger of your being 
left in with a spade bid while your losses are 
limited to lOO points, whether you are doubled 
or not. Take these cards : 




In straight bridge, this is a heart make, and 
you should be quite willing to bid two by cards 
on it at auction. But do not be in too great 
a hurry about it. Bid one spade on the first 
call if you are the dealer. If you sit anywhere 



AUCTION BRIDGE 93 

else, pass. Wait until you hear what your 
partner and the adversaries have to say. 

You bid two in spades to show strength in 
the suit, but it is not necessary to bid more 
than one in clubs to show this strength, al- 
though both suits are black. If you have the 
ace, or king-queen- jack in clubs, these cards 
are useful as part of a no-trumper, and with 
such winning cards you can bid one in clubs 
just as freely as you would call one in hearts 
or diamonds. Occasionally you may have such 
a long suit of clubs that you can afford to over- 
call an adversary, so as to keep him out of the 
winning declaration. You may lose on it, but 
you prevent him from scoring toward game. 

With a sure trick in a side suit, a sporty no- 
trumper may be better than a club. Take these 
cards : 




Without the sure trick in the side suit, this 



94 AUCTION BRIDGE 



would be a club declaration ; but as it is, a no- 
trump bid is better. 

When the clubs are not strong enough to 
justify you in encouraging your partner to go 
no-trumps upon your assistance in that suit, it 
is better to declare the odd in spades. 

SECOND ROUND 

Before going into the question of over-call- 
ing, one should know what constitutes a fair 
red-suit declaration, that is, a hand which has 
a legitimate chance for the odd trick even when 
the partner gives no indication of any support. 
This knowledge is useful to the dealer on the 
second round, after he has been forced to make 
a spad€ call on the first round, and to the 
others when any preceding player has made a 
call which must be responded to. 

Every player should be thoroughly familiar 
with the strength that would justify him in 
declaring a red suit for the trump and how 
many tricks he should go on it. It must not 
be forgotten that a good red suit declaration 
is always safer than an average no-trumper 
with a weak spot in it. The adversaries have 
a nasty trick of finding those weak spots. 

The chief value of a no-trump bid is, either 



AUCTION BRIDGE 95 

as an original declaration by the dealer, to shut 
out information, or as an advance upon a pre- 
vious bid of the partner's, as v^e shall see pre- 
sently. Players should be especially careful 
about bidding more than one or two tricks in 
no-trumps after the adversaries have declared 
a suit, unless that suit can be stopped. 

A good working rule for beginners as a test 
for a red suit declaration, is to add to the 
number of the trumps themselves the honors 
in trumps which are as good as ace, king, 
queen, and the aces and kings in plain suits. 
Do not count queens. If the total is eight or 
better, it is usually a safe bid for the odd 
trick. Take the following example: 




This is equal to three aces, and is a king 
above the average ; but it is a better and safer 
heart declaration than no-trump, and has the 
great advantage of telling your partner in 



96 AUCTION BRIDGE 



which suit you are strong. If we count it up 
according to the rule just given, we find five 
trumps, two honors in trumps, one king and 
one ace in plain suits ; a total of nine. 

Here is an example of a hand which is not 
a good red declaration if tested by the eight 
rule: 




Although there are five hearts, there is no 
good honor among them, and no aces and only 
one king in the plain suits; a total of six, 
which is too weak to bid on. 

When there is a very short or missing suit, 
it is sometimes a better trump declaration on 
that account. Five or six trumps of any size 
with a strong five-card plain suit and a miss- 
ing suit, is very strong. 

As a rule, for every trick that one can count 
above this eight-rule test, especially if the ex- 
tra tricks are in plain suits, one can aflford to 
bid an extra trick. A player should have no 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



97 



hesitation in bidding two by cards on the ex- 
ample first given, which counted up to nine. 

Good red makes should always be carefully 
considered when there is a choice between 
them and a no-trumper. Take such cards as 
these : 




While this hand is above the average enough 
for no-trumps, it is a safer diamond at Auction 
Bridge, especially if you are something up on 
the score. Reckoning six trumps, two high 
honors in trumps, and three aces and kings in 
plain suits, the hand counts up to eleven, and 
should be well worth a bid of three by cards, 
with the chance of going game. If the hand 
is overbid, the suit named may be a guide as 
to the advisability of changing to no-trumps. 

Those who have played Bridge must get 
over any aversion they may have had to de- 
claring diamonds; because, although it is a 
difficult matter to win the game from zero 



98 AUCTION BRIDGE 



v/ith a diamond, the player in Auction Bridge 
must take every opportunity to advance his 
score surely and steadily, instead of over- 
reaching himself in an attempt to go game on 
one deal. The closer he gets to thirty points, 
the greater the chances the adversaries will 
take to overbid him, and the more points he is 
likely to pile up in the honor column from 
penalties in consequence. 

Trump honors, in Auction Bridge, are of 
comparatively small importance, except as 
trick-winners, because of the large number of 
points usually piled up for penalties, and the 
increased value of the rubber points, 250. 

OVERBIDDING 

SECOND BIDDER 

As soon as the dealer has made his declara- 
tion, it becomes the duty of the second bidder 
to give his partner, who will be the fourth 
bidder, some idea of the suit in which his 
strength lies, if he can ; but he should not 
make a declaration which is absolutely hope- 
less unless it is done with the deliberate inten- 
tion of shutting the dealer out. Neither should 
he bid a number of tricks which is more than 
necessary to over-call the previous declaration, 



AUCTION BRIDGE 99 

except with a view to shutting out an inform- 
atory bid by the dealer's partner. If the 
dealer's original bid is a forced '*one in 
spades," it will usually pay the second bidder 
to make it expensive for the dealer's partner 
to name a suit. 

Many beginners make the mistake of passing 
second hand, regardless of what they hold, 
when the dealer starts with one spade, on the 
theory that the dealer's partner will have to pull 
him out of the hole by bidding something bet- 
ter and that it will be time enough for the sec- 
ond hand to bid when it comes round to him 
again. 

But this idea must not be carried too far, 
because under the rule which limits the loss on 
a declaration of one spade to lOO points, 
whether it is doubled or not, the dealer's part- 
ner will frequently pass a bid of one spade 
when he has nothing himself and second hand 
passes, and then the onus of the situation is 
upon the fourth bidder, who has no idea of 
what he is doing and who may walk into a 
trap, instead of which the fourth bidder should 
have the best position at the table in the bid- 
ding, because he should have a line on all the 
other players, including a hint from his part- 
ner. 



lOO AUCTION BRIDGE 



If the second bidder has anything in his 
hand, he should declare it at once, especially 
if he has anything like a no-trumper. Such a 
bid compels the dealer's partner to offer two 
tricks at least in a red suit, or three in clubs, 
to show his hand when the dealer has bid one 
spade. If the second bidder has not a no- 
trumper, he should declare any suit in which 
he has sure tricks, not for the purpose of get- 
ting that suit made the trump, but as an invita- 
tion to his partner to go no-trumps if he has 
the other suits. This information is often of 
more value on the first round than on the 
second. 

When the second bidder names a suit, the 
fourth bidder can take advantage of the in- 
formation in either of two ways — in bidding 
on the combined strength of the two hands, 
or in leading the suit which the second bidder 
declares strength in, in case the dealer's part- 
ner becomes declarer on the deal. 

There is no use piling up penalties against 
yourself just for the sake of giving your part- 
ner information that cannot be of any use to 
him unless he has a phenomenal hand. When 
you have to bid two or three by cards just to 
tell your partner what your suit is, you invite 
the adversaries to let you play it, or to double 



AUCTION BRIDGE lOI 

you, and then your partner has to let it go at 
that, or pull you out of your hole by going into 
a deeper one himself. It is when the dealer's 
bid is low that the second bidder gets his op- 
portunity. 

The score plays a very important part in 
overbidding. Suppose the dealer declares the 
odd in spades when he is not more than 
twenty up. If the second bidder has only an 
average hand, he should pass at once, so as to 
let the dealer play spades; because he cannot 
possibly win the game with such a declaration. 
When the second bidder passes, it becomes the 
duty of the third bidder to pull the dealer out, 
if he can, by bidding something in which there 
is a chance to go game. 

Then one of two things must happen. If 
the adversaries can, they will outbid the 
dealer's partner, especially if they have any 
fear that he will go out on his declaration. 
Or, if they think the declaration is weak, they 
can let it stand and double it. 

There is one point to which the beginner's 
attention should be directed, and that is the 
difference between declaring no-trumps and 
defeating a no-trump declaration. If the 
dealer bids no-trumps, and the second bidder 
holds a solid suit, good for eight tricks, he 



102 AUCTION BRIDGE 



can defeat the declaration ; because he has the 
lead. But he could not declare no-trumps 
himself, because he cannot get that suit led, 
and might not be able to bring it into play 
until the odd trick had been lost. Therefore, 
if a player bids two in diamonds with six solid 
trump tricks and an outside king, that does 
not mean that he would also be willing to de- 
clare two in no-trumps with such cards ; and a 
no-trump bid will frequently shut him out, and 
prevent him from mentioning the suit even, 
which is of the greatest importance. 

If the dealer has bid no-trumps and the sec- 
ond bidder has no suit that he can name for 
two tricks as a trump, he should pass, because 
even if he can defeat the no-trumper he will 
only frighten the dealer's partner or the dealer 
himself into something else if the declaration 
is doubled. Remember that if the dealer calls 
no-trumps and you are the man on his left, 
it will be your lead and if you can defeat the 
call it will pay you to keep quiet unless the 
dealer has been bid up to two or three in no- 
trumps, and cannot shift without certain loss 
in anything else, which you can also double. 

It is a common artifice for the second bidder 
to double a suit called by the dealer simply to 
show the fourth bidder that he need not be 



AUCTION BRIDGE IO3 

afraid of that suit. Suppose the dealer calls 
one in hearts and that the second bidder holds 
some such cards as five to the king-queen. He 
should double one heart, to show his partner 
that he has that suit stopped, as otherwise the 
fourth player might be afraid to go no-trumps 
on account of his weakness in hearts, espe- 
cially if he had to bid two or three tricks to 
get it. 

The most common double for the second bid- 
der is that of a spade call. This does not mean 
that the second hand has any idea that the deal 
will be played as a spade and wishes to double 
the value of the penalties, but simply that 
what strength he has is in the spade suit. In- 
stead of bidding two in spades, it is cheaper to 
double, as that does not oblige him to make 
the odd trick even. The result is the same, the 
fourth bidder being informed that the spade 
suit is safe. 

THE THIRD BIDDER 

The third bidder must be guided largely by 
the dealer's declaration, modified by the over- 
bidding, if any. The combinations are so end- 
less that it would be impossible to enumerate 
a tenth part of them ; but one or two examples 



104 AUCTION BRIDGE 



may give the reader a fair idea of how to man- 
age such situations. 

If the dealer's partner holds bad cards, and 
cannot risk anything when the dealer bids the 
odd in spades and the second bidder passes, 
it is a convention in many circles to overbid 
the dealer by offering two in spades. The 
theory is that the dealer's bid may be forced, 
and that he may not be absolutely weak, but 
simply waiting for the bids of others to guide 
him. An overbid of two in spades not only 
warns him of the weakness of his partner's 
hand, but gives him a chance to change his bid 
if he cares to. This opportunity to bid again 
may be invaluable. 

But while third hand's increase of his part- 
ner's one spade to two spades re-opens the bid- 
ding and gives the dealer a chance to recon- 
sider his first call and to do something better 
it must not be forgotten that it also forfeits the 
protection of the rule limiting the loss on one 
spade to lOO points, because the moment a 
player bids two in spades he takes the greatest 
risk in the game, the odds against him be- 
ing practically 12 to i. The same is true 
of re-doubling after a one-spade call has 
been doubled. The re-double forfeits the 
protection. 



AUCTION BRIDGE IO5 

The odds against a spade call should be care- 
fully studied by every auction bridge player. 
If you play spades, you are risking 50 points 
a trick in order to win 2. If you play no- 
trumps, you are not assuming any more risk, 
but you may win six times as much as you can 
in spades. Viewed from the point of proba- 
bility alone, the spade is undoubtedly the worst 
of all calls in the game, and for that reason 
the dealer should never declare a spade if he 
has even as much as a blank ace or a king- 
queen in anything else. 

When the dealer bids one spade, if he is a 
good player it means that he has not a sure 
trick in his hand, or else that he has one tre- 
mendous suit and hopes to catch the opponent 
on his right going no-trumps, a trick which is 
not uncommon. The dealer may have a trick 
in spades, but he has not two or three, or he 
would call two spades instead of one. Remem- 
ber that this one-spade call of the dealer's does 
not mean that he has nothing at all, but it 
means that he has no aces and no king-queen 
suit. For all that he may have five or six red 
cards to a king and an outside king or so and 
be waiting for a chance to name a trump after 
he gets a line on the general situation. You 
must wait for the second round of the bids to 



io6 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



tell you which it is; a long weak red suit or 
nothing at all. 

When the dealer declares a red suit on his 
first call it does not mean that he wants it for 
the trump. He may have only two or three 
cards to an ace, but it does mean that he has 
a sure trick in that suit and that if you have 
any show for a no-trumper you can depend on 
him for a trick in the suit he names. Take 
these cards in third hand : 




The dealer starts with one diamond. Second 
bidder does not over-call him, so there is no 
great strength in hearts there. With your 
partner's sure trick in diamonds, you can con- 
fidently bid one in no-trumps, which will force 
the man on your left to go two in hearts or 
pass. If he wants to show his heart suit, he 
cannot do it without the risk of being left to 
play it, and what chance would he have? 



AUCTION BRIDGE 10/ 

If you have not the nerve to call no-trumps, 
bid two in clubs, just to show your partner 
where your strength lies. This leaves the onus 
of the declaration of no-trumps to him and he 
may shirk it if he has nothing in spades or 
hearts, because he cannot risk a no-trumper on 
clubs and diamonds alone. What he will prob- 
ably do is to return to the diamond suit, if he 
is long in it, and a great opportunity will be 
lost. Never leave to your partner anything 
that you can attend to yourself. Jump at every 
chance to go no-trumps. 

When the third bidder has only one good 
suit, he should either name it for the trump, 
with the intention of supporting it by calling 
it a second time if necessary, or he may name 
it just to show the high cards in it. In the 
illustration just given, if there were no high 
cards in the spade suit, or only one honor, not 
the ace, the proper call would be one or two in 
clubs, whichever was necessary to over-call the 
dealer or the second hand. 

When the dealer's first bid is over-called by 
the second player, the third bidder will some- 
times find it necessary to make a declaration 
which would be absurd except for the purpose 
of giving information. Something like this 
frequently happens: 



I08 AUCTION BRIDGE 

The dealer starts with one no-trump. Sec- 
ond bidder says two diamonds, and third man 
holds three top honors in spades. It should be 
clear that the dealer's no-trumper is pretty 
slim, or that the second hand is long in dia- 
monds without all the high cards, and wants 
them for the trump. The only way in which 
the third hand can show what he has to help 
out his partner's no-trumper is to bid six in 
spades. If the dealer has the diamonds 
stopped, which is very probable, this spade bid 
will bolster up his courage enough for him 
to go two in no-trumps. He may even take the 
chance that the adversaries cannot win more 
than five diamond tricks. 

In such cases, the third bidder need not have 
the slightest fear that his partner will leave 
him in the lurch to play for a small slam in 
spades, even if the fourth bidder does not 
double, which he will never do, as he knows 
it will be a waste of time. Bids of this kind, 
which are made without the slightest inten- 
tion of playing them, are often the salvation of 
the partner's hand. 

When the dealer starts with a red suit and is 
not over-called by the second bidder, it is bet- 
ter to leave your partner alone unless you can 
stretch the combination to no-trumps, or unless 



AUCTION BRIDGE lOQ 

you have a suit which you think may be bet- 
ter than his. This shift is then useful as in- 
forming your partner that you cannot support 
his call but that you are pretty well off in 
something else. Take these cards : 




The dealer starts with one diamond, second 
hand passes. Diamonds do not suit you at all 
as you cannot support them as trumps and 
they are no use to you as part of a no-trumper. 
You have apparently a much safer heart, and 
you should bid one heart. This is only a hint, 
of course, but it gives your partner a line on 
the situation and he can do what he likes with 
it. He may shift to no-trumps or he may 
stick to his diamonds, or he may prefer to let 
the other side play the hand, in the hopes of 
defeating the declaration. 

It is a common mistake with beginners to 
Qver-call the partner in the partner's suit, with 



no AUCTION BRIDGE 



the idea that they are showing assistance in 
it. Suppose the dealer starts with one heart, 
second hand passes and third hand holds two 
black aces. Many players will increase their 
partner's bid to two hearts, on the theory 
that with two sure tricks they can help 
him out. 

But this overlooks two important things. In 
the first place, the partner has not the slight- 
est idea of the nature of the assistance you 
offer, as you name no suit. In the second 
place it overlooks the fundamental principle 
of the first round of bids. The dealer does 
not say that he wants hearts for trumps. He 
may be only showing a sure trick or two in the 
suit. If you bid two tricks in hearts, espe- 
cially when there is no necessity to bid at all, 
second hand having passed, you lead your 
partner to believe that you want hearts for 
trumps and probably induce him to go on and 
bid three in hearts if you are over-called, 
and the adversaries just sit tight and de- 
stroy you. 

When you want to show your partner that 
you can assist him in a suit call, but are not 
willing to go no-trumps, name the suit in which 
you have the winning cards if you can afford 
to do so. It is very rare that the winning dec- 



AUCTION BRIDGE III 

laration remains at one trick in anything but 
no-trumps, and even if you bid one in no- 
trumps with nothing but two black aces in your 
hand, there is not much danger that you will 
be left to play it. Even if you are, you do not 
risk very much. If the adversaries cannot 
over-call you, they must be pretty weak, or 
they have set a trap for you. 

Beginners sometimes find it difficult to dis- 
tinguish between a call which is intended as a 
shift to a preferable suit and one which is sim- 
ply to show winning cards that may be of as- 
sistance. Take the example just given of a 
hand in which the dealer starts with one dia- 
mond and his partner shifts to one heart be- 
cause he cannot support a diamond for the 
trump. Why, asks the beginner, should not 
this mean that he has a trick or two in hearts 
to support the diamond call? 

It does. That is to say, if the dealer chooses 
to take it that way. No matter which way he 
looks at it, the result must be the same. If 
the dealer's diamond call was only tentative he 
will drop it and leave you to manage your 
heart call yourself if the adversaries over-bid 
you. If he really had a big diamond suit he 
will go back to it and declare two or three in 
diamonds, being guided by your refusal to go 



112 AUCTION BRIDGE 



no-trumps to the conclusion that hearts are 
the only suit in which you can assist him. 

If the dealer starts with no-trumps and is 
over-called it is often impossible for the third 
hand to name a suit without declaring so many 
tricks that it is dangerous. The best thing he 
can do is to increase his partner's no-trump 
bid in order to show that he can assist him. 
But if the third hand thinks that a red suit 
would be a better declaration with his part- 
ner's no-trumper to help it out, it is often safer 
to call the suit, even if you have to offer three 
or four tricks in it. 

Upon one occasion I saw a dealer declare 
the odd at no-trumps, holding the ace and 
small hearts, the ace and small clubs, no dia- 
monds, and six spades to the king, queen, 
jack. His partner had six hearts to the king, 
queen, jack, and also no diamonds ; and when 
the second bidder passed, the third bidder very 
wisely overbid, and declared two in hearts, 
which shut out eight winning diamonds in the 
hand of the second bidder, who had shrewdly 
refrained from doubling, hoping the no-trump 
declaration would stand. 

Another point for the third hand, which also 
applies upon occasion to any position at the 
table, is the method of showing that the suit 



AUCTION BRIDGE II3 

named by an adversary is stopped. The sec- 
ond-hand doubling the dealer has been men- 
tioned, but this is a different situation. 

Suppose the dealer starts with one diamond 
and the second hand offers one heart. If the 
third bidder shifts to no-trumps it should be 
an evidence that he has the heart suit stopped, 
as otherwise he should assist his partner's dia- 
mond bid by naming the suit he has trick in. 
If he has nothing but diamonds, he would be 
justified in bidding two diamonds, which 
means that the suit is the best for his hand, 
no matter what his partner holds. 

There are occasions, of course, upon which 
you will bid no-trumps even if you have no 
protection in the suit bid by the player ahead 
of you, but in such cases you are simply trust- 
ing that he has not length enough in it to de- 
feat your declaration, but you must not bid too 
high. 

When you are very weak in a suit which is 
declared by the adversaries, you should over- 
bid them, so as to prevent them from going 
game, unless you are so much ahead of them 
in the matter of penalties that you can afford 
to let them win the rubber and still be a win- 
ner in points yourself. 

Take this case: The dealer bids the odd 



114 AUCTION BRIDGE 

in Spades. Second bidder, being eighteen up, 
declares two in diamonds. While one in dia- 
monds would be enough to over-bid, he oflfers 
two, so as to prevent the dealer's partner from 
giving information too cheaply, which he will 
always seize an opportunity to do when the 
dealer's bid is a forced "one in spades." The 
dealer's partner in this case holds no dia- 
monds, but has something like four hearts to 
the king, four clubs to the ace-queen, and five 
spades to the king. He knows that his part- 
ner is either waiting to see how the land lies, 
or may be weak, but he bids two in hearts; 
not with any idea of being able to make it, 
but in order to keep the game in, which would 
be lost if the adversaries were allowed to play 
diamonds for trumps. 

Observe that in over-bidding just to save the 
game, it is always advisable to bid as few 
tricks as possible, as the penalty is the same 
no matter what the declaration is. If the third 
bidder in this case had bid three in clubs, so as 
to over-bid the two in diamonds, he would be 
running an extra risk of penalties. 

THE FOURTH BIDDER 

The fourth bidder usually has a great ad- 
vantage in the first round of the bids, because 



AUCTION BRIDGE 115 

he has the declarations of all the other players 
to go upon. These will usually guide him as 
to his safest course, and the only times he will 
be in doubt will probably be when his partner 
passes and he has no great strength himself. 

When the second bidder lets the dealer's 
odd in spades pass, and the third bidder is not 
able to do anything better than two spades, the 
fourth bidder should be pretty strong to inter- 
fere with his partner's handling of the situa- 
tion, and should wait for the dealer, to see 
if he is going to risk a change of suit or not. 

When the dealer declares a spade and second 
and third hands both pass, the fourth bidder 
should be able to declare something, so as to 
give his partner a chance to come into the bid- 
ding again. If fourth hand passes, all he can 
win is IOC points penalty and he may be un- 
pleasantly surprised to find that he cannot win 
that with spades for trumps, but that he has lost 
an opportunity to make a good score in some 
other suit by not giving his partner a chance. 

A sure trick in any suit should be named by 
the fourth player if he can call it for one trick, 
as his partner may be waiting to hear from 
that very suit. The principles of over-calling 
and of supporting the partner are practically 
the same for the fourth hand as for any other 



Il6 AUCTION BRIDGE 

position, and should give the player little 
trouble. 

Situations something like the following fre- 
quently arise : The dealer bids the odd in 
spades ; second bidder declares two in dia- 
monds; third bidder two in hearts. If the 
fourth bidder judges from his own cards, and 
from his partner's diamond declaration, that 
the heart bid is simply to shut out the dia- 
monds, he can outbid the hearts by bidding 
three in diamonds; but such a bid should be 
a clear indication to his partner that the hearts 
will be taken care of ; because it is a challenge 
to the adversaries to increase their heart bid. 

If the dealer's side does over-bid, by going 
three in hearts, the others will have to con- 
sider their chances of making four by cards in 
diamonds, or shifting to no-trumps, or letting 
the heart declaration stand and securing pen- 
alties in the honor column, perhaps doubled. 
Of course, if they go on, and over-bid their 
diamond hand, they may lose heavily by it, as 
they will have penalties piled up against them- 
selves, when they might easily have beaten the 
heart declaration. It is situations like this that 
make Auction Bridge such an interesting game. 
SECOND ROUND 

With all players alike, the second round of 



AUCTION BRIDGE II7 

bids lias practically the same meaning. The 
first round is often only to give information; 
but the second round gets down to business 
and is for keeps. 

If the dealer has started by naming a suit, 
hoping to encourage his partner to go no- 
trumps and the partner does not respond to the 
invitation, it is the dealer's turn to pick out 
what he really wants for the hand, being guided 
by the bids of others. Otherwise he will have 
to turn his attention to defeating the declara- 
tion of his adversaries. 

When the dealer names a suit on the first 
round with the intention of making it the 
trump, he must support it on the second round 
by bidding two tricks or more, because if he 
abandons it he tells his partner that he never 
wanted it for the trump, but was simply show- 
ing a trick in it. Many good players believe 
it is good policy to bid two tricks in a red suit 
right at the start, so as to indicate that it is to 
be the trump suit, and also to shut out inf orma- 
tory bids from the adversaries to each other. 
There is not much to be said to a bid of two 
in hearts from the dealer, unless it be to keep 
the flag flying. 

Suppose the dealer starts with one heart and 
his partner says no-trumps. If the dealer is 



Il8 AUCTION BRIDGE 



long in hearts, it will be better for him to over- 
call his partner's no-trumper with two hearts. 
If his partner persists in the no-trumper, it 
should be a very strong one. 

When the second bidder passes the first time, 
he should be ready to take advantage of the 
information derived from other bids, and on 
the second round he occupies practically the 
same advantageous position that the fourth 
bidder usually does on the first round. 

When a player is overcalled by his partner, 
or when his partner returns to his original dec- 
laration in spite of the over-call, some judg- 
ment must be used in interfering with it. If 
your partner starts with one diamond and you 
shift to no-trumps and he returns to the dia- 
mond suit and is over-called by an adversary in 
something else, it will probably be much better 
for you to go higher in diamonds and drop 
your no-trumper. 

BLUFFING 

There is one part of the game which re- 
quires a good deal of experience and judgment 
and which had better be left until the player 
has become quite at home with the simpler 
tactics of the game, but it may be mentioned 
here in order to warn the beginner against it. 

Occasionally you will make a bid which 



AUCTION BRIDGE II9 

your opponents know will carry you out unless 
it is over-called or unless they can induce you 
to change it or to undertake more than you 
should. Take such a case as this : 

The dealer starts with one in no-trumps and 
his partner shifts to two in hearts. The fourth 
bidder has nothing in hearts but has a chance 
to hold a no-trumper down to two by cards if 
not to defeat it, so he doubles the two in 
hearts. Nine times out of ten this will 
frighten the player who bid no-trumps to go 
back to that declaration, and then his partner 
cannot afford to go as far as three in hearts 
with a double on his left. Many a game has 
been saved by judicious bluffing. 

DOUBLING 

It is a great mistake for the second bidder 
to double an original declaration, or one that 
can be backed out of; because it alarms the 
dealer's partner. Suppose the dealer declares 
the odd at no-trump, and the second bidder 
doubles. The third bidder immediately pulls 
the dealer out of the hole he is in by declar- 
ing two in diamonds - or hearts, or three in 
clubs, or anything, so as to prevent the second 
bidder from defeating the no-trumper and 
scoring lOO points a trick penalty. 



I20 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



What has the second bidder gained by his 
doubHng? He has not given his partner any 
idea of the suit with which he proposed to 
defeat the no-trump make, but he has driven 
the opposing bid to such a figure that he dare 
not come in and name his own suit against it, 
unless it is a red suit. 

The best time for doubHng is when you 
think that the bidding has forced the adver- 
saries up so far that they have over-reached 
their strength. Take this distribution of the 
cards as an illustration of such a case : 







4 


A J 8 75 










^ 


J 7 6 5 










4 



K J 10 3 










Y 







K 

Q 10 8 

9 6 

A K Q 9 4 2 


A 


B 
Z 


4 



109 43 

3 

8 742 

J 10 8 6 




4' 


6 2 

A K 9 4 2 








* 



A Q 5 
7 5 3 







The dealer, Z, bid the odd in hearts, and A 



AUCTION BRIDGE 121 

bid two in diamonds. Y declared two tricks 
in hearts, as he could ruif the opposing dia- 
mond suit, making his own trumps separately 
from his partner's. B, with two honors m 
diamonds, and able to ruff hearts after one 
round, bid three in diamonds. The dealer 
passed, not knowing the situation, and being 
afraid of his five weak cards in diamonds and 
spades. A, who argued that he had the heart 
suit stopped, and that his partner knew his 
diamond suit, declared two in no-trumps, trust- 
ing B to stop the clubs, should that suit be led. 
Y, still sure of the advantage of being able to 
ruff the first round of diamonds, bid three in 
hearts, so as to outbid A, and, both the others 
passing, A offered to make three in no-trumps. 
Y, afraid to risk five by cards in hearts, 
which would have been defeated, turned round 
and doubled A's no-trumper, on the ground 
that if A should make three by cards he would 
win the game and rubber, and a few penalty 
points did not matter much. This left B help- 
less, as the bidding had gone too far for him 
to risk a Little Slam in diamonds, and nothing 
else would over-bid, so he hoped the no- 
trumper would go through, as he knew A must 
have the hearts stopped, and all the diamonds 
ought to fall. 



122 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



A became the declarer, and Y led his best 
heart, the jack, which Z won with the king 
and led the ace. As the rule is to lead the best 
card of the suit your partner has named in 
his bidding, Z marks the queen of hearts with 
A, and as it does not fall, Z shifts to clubs. 
Four club tricks and the ace of spades, in ad- 
dition to the two heart tricks, netted Y and Z 
300 points penalty as a reward for their good 
judgment in doubling at the right time. 



OPENING LEADS 

The partner who first names the suit which 
is finally settled on for the trump, or who first 
declares no-trumps if the hand is to be played 
that way, becomes declarer for that deal, no 
matter how much his original offer for tricks 
may have been increased, and the player sitting 
on his left leads for the first trick. 

If we suppose this to be the position of the 
players : 




AUCTION BRIDGE 1 23 

Z having dealt and bid the odd in spades, A 
bids two in hearts, Y bids two in no-trumps, 
B makes it three in hearts, Z passes, A passes, 
and Y doubles. Although A's bid has been 
increased by one player and doubled by an- 
other, hearts are to be the trump, and as A 
first named them, he is declarer, and Y leads 
for the first trick. 

It sometimes happens that both sides name 
the same suit. Suppose the dealer starts with 
one diamond, just to show a sure trick in it. 
Second bidder declares one heart and the third 
bidder one in no-trumps. Now, it is not at all 
impossible for the fourth bidder to hold a long 
diamond suit and he would be* quite right in 
over-calling the no-trumper with two in dia- 
monds. If the second bidder's cards are good 
enough to stick to the hearts, he will do so; 
but should he decide to support his partner and 
the hand be finally played as a diamond, it 
would be the fourth bidder who would become 
the declarer, although the diamond was first 
called by the dealer. 

As soon as a card is led, declarer's partner 
lays down his thirteen cards and becomes 
Dummy, taking no further part in the game. 

The suit selected for the opening lead by 
the eldest hand will depend largely upon 



124 AUCTION BRIDGE 

whether or not he has any information as to 
his partner's strength, or has a good suit of 
his own. The mere fact that the partner has 
declared a suit does not mean that he can win 
every trick in it. A suit may be selected and 
bid upon which has only one trick in it. 
Over-bids, especially when made to keep the 
other side from going game, are not to be re- 
garded as guides which are as reliable as those 
made in good faith. If a player bids hearts 
to take the declaration away from an oppo- 
nent who looks as if he would go game on dia- 
monds, that is not as true an index of his 
strength in hearts as it would have been had 
he bid hearts after the dealer had declared 
the odd in spades. 

If the eldest hand can hold the lead until he 
has seen Dummy's cards, it is usually a great 
advantage, especially if he does not give up 
the control of the suit by so doing ; but to lead 
an ace just for the sake of seeing Dummy is 
often a mistake. In no-trumps it is almost al- 
ways so. 

If your partner has declared a suit in a hand 
which is eventually played as a no-trumper, 
lead him that suit, unless you have a good suit 
of your own, such as ace, king. If you think 
his declaration of the suit was from strength 



AUCTION BRIDGE 125 

in it, sacrifice your hand to his, and lead him 
the best card you hold in it, regardless of num- 
ber, so that he may know what is against him. 

In order that the partner may be able to 
count the number of the suit held by the leader, 
it is usual to play the suit "down." Suppose 
your partner has called hearts but is playing 
against a no-trumper, your lead. You hold 
the jack, eight, deuce of hearts. Lead him the 
jack first, and if you lead the suit again, or 
play to his lead, or discard hearts, play the 
eight, keeping the deuce of hearts to the last. 

This will frequently enable a good player to 
count the suit by placing the small unplayed 
cards in your hand. If you play the deuce 
after the jack, it should be clear to him that 
you have no intermediate card. 

If you are the only one of the partnership 
that has named a suit, the declaration having 
been changed afterward to no-trumps, it is al- 
most a certainty that the adversaries, who are 
to play the declarer's side, have the suit 
stopped. But unless this stopper is some card 
that you could catch if the suit were led by 
your partner, you may as well start your suit 
and lead it right out until you get it cleared. 

If you have declared clubs, for instance, 
holding six to the ace, queen, jack, and your 



126 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



partner has overbid the player on your left by 
naming hearts, the hand being finally played 
as a no-trumper, your lead should be your best 
heart, on the chance that you can catch the 
guarded king of clubs if your partner can lead 
through it. Here is a situation of this kind: 







♦ 


10 8 












V 


K Q 10 6 5 3 








♦ 


10 3 













J 4 2 












Y 








♦ 


9 5 2 








4^ 


K Q J 6 4 


c? 


9 2 


A 




B 


^ 


A J 8 


« 


9 8 




♦ 


K 75 





K 10 9 7 6 3 




Z 







A Q 




4 


A 73 












o 


7 4 










4^ 


A Q J 642 











8 5 









Z dealt and bid the odd in clubs ; overbid by 
A in diamonds; overbid by Y with one in 
hearts. As B had both the adversaries' de- 
clared suits stopped, and could infer that his 
partner was strong in diamonds, he bid one 



AUCTION BRIDGE 1 27 



in no-trumps. Z raised his partner's heart bid 
to two tricks, and B raised his own bid. Z 
raised to three in hearts, because he knew that 
his partner, Y, could have nothing but hearts, 
and Z was afraid that Y would stop bidding 
when B went two in no-trumps. This bid of 
Z's forced B to go on to three in no-trumps. 
Neither Y nor Z dared to risk five in hearts ; 
but Z doubled the no-trumper, and A could 
do nothing to pull his partner out. 

B became the declarer, and Z led a heart, 
that being his partner's declaration. B tried 
to drop the diamonds, overtaking his own 
lead. As the jack did not fall, he tried the 
spades, putting Z in, who led another heart. 
Y quit the hearts, and came through with the 
ten of clubs, the suit indicated by his partner's 
opening bid; two by cards for YZ. 

If you lead a suit because it has been indi- 
cated by your partner, lead the top of it, re- 
gardless of number, so as to show him the 
highest card in it; but if you lead your own 
suit, lead it according to the conventional 
rules for leading high or low cards. 

When suits are led by the adversaries of the 
declarer, which are not opened in response to 
the partner's indication, there is a slight dif- 



128 AUCTION BRIDGE 

ference in the leads from high cards when 
there is a trump and when there is no trump. 

LEADING AGAINST TRUMPS 

If your partner has doubled a trump declar- 
ation, do not assume great strength in his hand 
in the trump suit, and avoid a trump lead at 
all costs. 

Against any trump declaration, the best 
suits to open are those headed by two or more 
cards in sequence. The worst are those with 
honors which are not in sequence when the 
suit is short, and those headed by single 
honors which are not the ace. The best of 
all openings are suits headed by both ace anA 
king, as they hold the lead until Dummy's 
cards are laid down, and still command the 
suit. 

Every player should learn the various com- 
binations from which it is conventional to lead 
one of the five high cards — the ace, king, 
queen, jack, or ten. These leads are covered 
by five simple rules. 

The king is always led when it is accom- 
panied by the card next it in value, above or 
helow; that is, by the ace or the queen or 
both. From any of the following combina- 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



129 



tions, the proper card to lead would be the 
king: 



^ 











4. 4. 
4. 4. 




o 
o o 

O 






4- 
4- 



There are two objects in view in leading 
conventionally. In the first place, you make 
the most out of the suit by leading high cards 
instead of low ones. In the second place, if 
your partner is a good player,. and knows the 
leads, he will be able to infer what combina- 
tion of high cards you hold. 

When playing against a trump declaration, 
there is little for the adversaries to do in the 
opening attack but to show each other what 
tricks they can win. This the leader does by 



130 AUCTION BRIDGE 

opening conventionally, while his partner in- 
dicates, by methods to be explained when we 
come to the play of the third hand, whether 
or not he can trump the smaller cards of the 
suit after the leader has exhausted his winning 
cards. 

If the king is led from any of the foregoing 
combinations, it will win the trick, and the 
partner will infer that the leader must hold 
the ace. For the second round of the suit the 
leader should follow the king with the lowest 
card he has that is just as good as the ace — 
that is, that will win the second trick. 

These secondary leads are based on the 
principle that you should never tell your part- 
ner anything he already knows, when you can 
tell him something that he does not know. 

From the first combination, having led the 
king and won the trick, your partner knows 
you have the ace. Follow with the jack, 
which tells him it is as good as the ace, and 
marks you with the queen also. From the 
second combination, follow with the queen, 
which is as good as the ace; but denies the 
jack. From the third and fourth, you must 
follow the king with the ace, which denies the 
queen. 

The king is also led from the following 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



131 



combinations, because it is accompanied by 
the card next in value, in these, the queen: 








o 



o o 






9? <^ 

9 9 






4. 4. 



If the king wins, you infer that your part- 
ner holds the ace. If the king loses, your 
partner infers that you hold the queen. If you 
lead the suit again, lead the card that he does 
not know. From the first, lead the ten after 
the king, because the ten is as good as the 
queen, which is the card he knows. From the 
second, lead the jack, which is as good as the 
queen; but denies the ten. 

If the king loses to the ace, and you have 
not the jack, you must go on with the best 



132 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



card of the suit wfien y<!)U get in again, which 
will be the queen ; but from the first two com- 
binations you should invariably go on with a 
high card, whether the king wins or not. If 
the king wins when you have not the jack, you 
do not lead the queen, but follow the king 
with your original fourth-best of the suit, even 
if you hold five or six cards of it. 

The queen is led when accompanied by the 
jack, with no higher card in the suit. This 
would be a queen lead: 



?|MS 



4. 4. 



* 


* 


+ 


4- 


^ 


* 



The jack is led as the top of a suit only, 
there being no higher card in the hand. When 
the suit is one of four or more cards, the jack 
must be accompanied by the ten; but if the 
suit is short, three cards, or two only, the jack 
is led even without the ten, so as to show its 
weakness. Either of these would be jack 
leads : 







9 ^ 

^^^ 

^^^ 
^ ^ 




9 <:> 




m 


♦ ♦ 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



133 



The ten is led from one combination only 



Ooo 



0-5 

o o 

O 



If the leader opens a suit which is headed 
by the ace, without the king, he should always 
lead the ac,e, or it may be lost when playing 
against a declared trump. This does not mean 
that you should pick out an ace suit to lead; 
but that if you have to open that suit, and it 
is headed by the ace without the king, the ace 
is the card to lead. The following are all ace 
leads ; because the king is not present : 








2 ^ 




<9 S? 

□ 



134 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



After leading the ace, follow with your 
original fourth-best, unless you hold two 
honors in sequence, as in the first two com- 
binations shown. In that case you lead one 
of the two honors, and always the higher, so 
that the jack following the ace will deny the 
queen, while the queen following the ace will 
show the jack. 

The fourth-best of the suit is always led 
originally when you have no combination 
from which you would lead a high card. The 
fourth-best is also the card of uniformity for 
the second round in all suits in which you do 
not lead a high card for the second round. 
This card is always counted from the top of 
the suit as it stood originally. In each of the 
following the fourth-best would be the four: 










212 




9 ^ 









4> ♦ 



±-± 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



135 



^ 

























































*** 

*** 




*** 

4. 4. 
4. + 




* 

+ 






4- 
4- 
4- 
























0^0 








^0^ 
0^0 







0% 















LEADS AGAINST NO-TRUMPERS 

When playing against a no-trump declara- 
tion, if your partner has not indicated a suit, 
you should select the longest suit in your own 
hand for the opening, unless you have a suit 
headed by three honors, one as good as the 
king. 

In playing against no-trumpers, there is no 
hurry about making your aces and kings, as 
there is in a trump declaration; because you 
are not in the same danger of losing them. 
They cannot be trumped, and they may be 
more useful later in the hand than at the start. 

There is this simple difference between the 
rules for leading high cards. Against a trump 
declaration, you always lead from any two 
honors in sequence; but at no-trumps you do 



136 AUCTION BRIDGE 

not lead high cards unless you have three 
honors, at least two of them in sequence. 
From such combinations as ace, king, queen; 
king, queen, jack; queen, jack, ten; ace, queen, 
jack; or king, queen, ten, you would lead the 
same way in either case; but from such suits 
as ace, king; king, queen; or queen, jack, you 
lead the fourth-best at no-trump. An excep- 
tion may be made if you are very long in the 
suit, seven cards or more. 

There is no hurry about making aces at no- 
trump, and if you open a suit which is headed 
by the ace without the king, never lead the ace 
unless you have the queen and jack also; but 
start with the fourth-best. 

Against no-trumpers, it is better to avoid 
leads from short suits, if possible. They are 
a resource when all the other suits are bad 
ones to open, such as three- or four-card suits 
headed by honors which are not in sequence, 
like ace, queen, or king, jack. It is not often 
that such openings are justified in Auction 
Bridge, and they should be avoided; short- 
suit leads being reserved for a response to the 
partner's declared suit. 

If a short suit is led, always lead the best 
card of it if it is not as good as a queen, and 
follow with the next best, whether you lead it, 



AUCTION BRIDGE 1 37 



follow suit, or discard, so that the partner may 
infer that you still have a smaller card if you 
had three originally. Lead a queen, king, or 
ace at the top of two or three, if it is your 
partner's suit you are trying to hit. 

THIRD HAND PLAY 

In playing against a declared trump, it 
should be the duty of the third hand to show 
his partner whether or not he can trump the 
third round of the suit first opened, if it is not 
his own suit. If he cannot trump it, he may 
be able to warn his partner that the fourth 
hand will. 

When high cards are led, or played in by 
Dummy, so that third hand makes no attempt 
to win the trick, he plays the higher of two 
cards only, neither of them an honor ; but the 
lowest of three or more, no matter what they 
are. Suppose third hand to hold the eight and 
four only of a suit in which his partner leads 
the king. The proper play to the first trick is 
the eight. When the lower card drops to the 
second round of the suit, the leader will know 
that his partner has no more, and can trump a 
third round. If the first card played by third 
hand is smaller than the second he plays, he 
must have a third, as he is playing up. This 



138 AUCTION BRIDGE 



may warn the leader that declarer is out of 
the suit. 

When one of the two cards is as high as the 
jack, this echo is unnecessary, as the fall of 
the jack will show the queen or no more. If 
the jack falls to the first trick, the player must 
have the queen or no more. 

This is called the down-and-out echo, but 
its use is confined exclusively to trump- 
declaring hands. 

Against no-trumpers, when the third hand 
makes no attempt to win the trick, he should 
always play his second-best card, regardless 
of number or value. On the second round, if 
he had more than two originally, he always 
keeps his original lowest to the last, playing 
the one above it. 

Suppose a king is led, and third hand holds 
jack, ten, four. He plays the ten the first 
time, the jack the next, keeping the four. 
Suppose he holds jack, ten, eight, four. He 
plays the ten the first time, but the eight the 
next. It will be observed that with two or 
three of the suit he plays up, while with four 
he plays down. 

When the third hand tries to win a trick, he 
does so as cheaply as possible. With any high 
cards in sequence, such as ace, king, or king, 



AUCTION BRIDGE 139 

queen, or queen, jack, he should always play 
the lower card, so as not to deceive his part- 
ner. To play the ace when holding* the king 
third hand, is to tell the leader that declarer 
has the king against him, which might be an 
expensive piece of deception. You cannot de- 
ceive the declarer, as he knows that neither he 
nor Dummy has the king. 

The eleven rule is sometimes useful to the 
third hand in showing him how far from es- 
tablished the leader's suit may be, and also 
sometimes in enabling third hand to hold over 
Dummy to advantage. The rule can be ap- 
plied only when the original leader opens with 
his fourth-best. 

By deducting from eleven the number of 
pips on any fourth-best lead of the partner's, 
the third hand may count how many cards^ 
higher than the one led, are not in the leader's 
hand. If they are not in the leader's hand, 
nor in Dummy's, nor in third hand, the infer- 
ence is that the declarer holds them. If 
Dummy and third hand hold all the higher 
cards indicated, the inference is that the 
declarer has no card higher than the one 
led. 

Suppose you are third hand, and your part- 
ner leads the seven of clubs, Dummy laying 



140 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



down the queen, nine, two; you holding ace, 
jack, three. This will be the position : 



4. 4. 



Leader 



Dummy 




Third Hand 



Q 




4- 
4- 



Deducting the card led, seven, from eleven, 
leaves four. These four cards, which are to 
be higher than the one led, are all in sight — 
queen, nine in Dummy; ace, jack in your own 
hand; therefore the declarer cannot have any 
card higher than the seven. If he has, your 
partner's seven cannot be the fourth-best of 
his club holding, as you will see if you lay out 
the whole suit. 

RETURN LEADS 

In returning the suit first opened by your 
partner, always lead one of the second- and 
third-best if you hold both those cards; such 



AUCTION BRIDGE I4I 

as jack, ten, after the king has forced out the 
ace; or queen, jack, if your partner has led 
the ace and the suit has been changed. 

With any two cards of your partner's suit, 
return the higher. With three or more, re- 
turn the lowest, except that you should lead a 
card that will beat Dummy if you can. Hold- 
ing jack, nine, four, for instance, Dummy with 
only seven high, return the nine ; not the four. 

If you change the suit, or have no more of 
your partner's suit to lead to him, always lead 
up to Dummy's weak suits. To lead up to 
Dummy's strong suit should show that you can 
trump the second round of it. Let your part- 
ner lead through Dummy's strong suits. If 
you hold over Dummy, and can catch his high 
cards, put your partner in on another suit if 
possible. Sometimes you can show what you 
want led, as when you have an ace, king, jack 
suit. Dummy holding the queen twice guarded. 
Lead the king to show the ace, and then 
change suits, so as to get the finesse of the 
jack if your partner can get in and lead 
through. 

SECOND HAND PLAY 

With Dummy on your left, all that is neces- 
sary is to beat the cards exposed in his hand if 
you can, when a suit is led through you. It is 



142 AUCTION BRIDGE 



useless to play high cards second hand under 
the impression that you will force Dummy to 
play higher, unless your high cards are two or 
more in sequence. Many beginners have an 
idea that if they play the king second hand, 
Dummy's ace will be forced; but Dummy's 
ace is forced in any case, and to play the king 
is to throw it away, if a small card is led. 

As a rule, cover an honor with an honor, 
when the honor in your suit is led through. 
If Dummy leads a queen, and you have the 
king and only two small, it usually pays to put 
on the king, so as to force the declarer to play 
two honors to get one trick; and you may 
make the jack or ten good in your partner's 
hand by so doing. 

With any combination of cards from which 
you would lead a high card, play a high card 
second hand if a small card is led through you. 
With ace, king, for instance ; or king, queen ; 
or queen, jack; or king, jack, ten, play the 
lowest of the high cards second hand on a 
small card led through you. 

The declarer must manage his second hand 
plays according to the combination which is 
formed by the two hands. It is never neces- 
sary to play a high card second hand, such as 
a queen, from one hand, when there is a card 



AUCTION BRIDGE 143 



in sequence with it, such as king or jack, in 
the fourth hand. 

With queen and only one small in second 
hand, ace and others in fourth hand, it is 
better for the declarer to put on the queen, as 
that may make two tricks in the suit. But with 
the ten in the same hand as the ace, do not 
play the queen ; because if the lead is allowed 
to come up to the ace, ten, small, the declarer 
must make two tricks in the suit, no matter 
what third hand plays. The same is true of 
jack and one small in one hand; king and 
others in fourth hand. The jack may make 
two tricks in the suit if the lead was a low 
card from ace, queen. 

At no-trumps, if the fourth hand cannot beat 
the card led, second hand should cover it if 
possible, so as to put the lead on the right. 
Suppose a seven is led, and Dummy lays down 
king, nine, three, the declarer having nothing 
higher than the seven in that suit. The nine 
should be played from Dummy, or the third 
hand will pass the seven, as he knows by the 
eleven rule that the declarer cannot beat it. 
This will compel third hand to win the trick 
and lead up to the guarded king, or else 
ghange the suit. 



144 AUCTION BRIDGE 

THE DECLARER'S PLAY 

With a declared trump, the declarer's first 
consideration upon getting into the lead must 
be whether or not to exhaust the adverse 
trumps at once, or to do something else first. 

If there seem to be more tricks in making 
the declarer's and Dummy's trumps separately 
by a cross-ruff, the trump lead should be 
avoided. Sometimes the lead is in the wrong 
hand to play trumps to advantage, and a plain 
suit must be led to put the other hand in. 
Sometimes Dummy can make a little trump 
before trumps are led, and then again it is 
often possible, by leading winning cards of 
a plain suit first, to get rid of losing cards in 
the other hand, that hand having none of the 
suit led. 

In no-trumps, the declarer must make up his 
mind at once, upon getting into the lead, which 
suit he is going to play for. As a rule, he 
should select the suit in which he has the most 
cards, counting those in both hands. If two 
suits are equal, he should choose the one which 
has more cards in one hand than the other. 
If two suits are equal in all these respects, it 
is always better to play for the one that is 
shown on the table, so that the strength in the 
hand may be concealed from the adversaries 



AUCTION BRIDGE I45 



as long as possible. They may discard from 
that suit, and perhaps unguard it. 

The golden rule for the declarer, in his 
management of the combined hands, is to lead 
from the weak hand to the strong, so as to 
secure all the extra tricks he can by finessing. 

If there was nothing in the play but to take 
tricks with the aces and kings, the declarer 
might as well lay down his cards and claim 
so many tricks at once ; but by good manage- 
ment he may make tricks with cards which are 
not aces and kings by any means, and may 
prevent cards as good as kings and queens 
from ever winning tricks for the adversaries 
that hold them. 

A finesse is an attempt to win a trick with 
any card which is not the best you hold of that 
suit, nor in sequence with it. If you have ace, 
queen in one hand, small cards in the other, 
you can lead from the weak hand to the strong, 
and finesse the queen. If the king is on the 
right of the ace-queen combination, you win 
two tricks in the suit, by the finesse. 

Sometimes two finesses are necessary in the 
same suit. These must be secured in one of 
two ways — either by taking one finesse, and 
then putting the weaker hand in again on an- 
other suit; or by so managing the cards that 



146 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



the weaker hand may retain the lead. Sup- 
pose this is the position, either hand being 
Dummy's, the other the declarer's : 




The rule is to lead high cards from the short 
hand, and most players would be satisfied to 
lead the jack, intending to play the small card 
from the other hand. This will win in all cases 
but one. If the king happens to be three times 
guarded on the left, it must eventually be led 
up to. If the eight is with the king, the king 
will cover the nine, if the ten is played under 
the jack on the first lead. 

The only way to manage this instructive po- 
sition is to lead the nine, so that if it is not 
covered the four can be played on it. Follow 
with the jack, and play the ten on it, and then 
the king must be caught if it is on the left. 

Holding ace, jack, ten in one hand, small 
cards in the other, it may be necessary to lead 
the suit twice from the weaker hand. The 
ten should be finessed the first time if the sec- 



AUCTION BRIDGE 147 

ond hand does not play king or queen, and the 
weak hand must be put in again to give a 
finesse of the jack on the second round, the 
theory being that both king and queen are un- 
likely to be on the right. If a high card is 
played second hand, win it with the ace and 
force out the other with the jack or ten. 

In planning the play of a no-trumper, de- 
clarer must be careful to provide for re-entry 
cards, otherwise he may not be able to make 
tricks with the long cards of his suit after he 
gets it established. Holding the ace in one 
hand, king in the other, and another big suit 
in one hand, not established, if it is necessary 
to win a trick with the ace or king, win it 
with the hand which does not hold the long 
suit, so that such a useful side card may be 
preserved for re-entry purposes. A misplay on 
the first trick of the hand is often fatal in this 
respect, declarer not having been careful to 
look ahead to see which hand should hold on 
to its high cards. 

Ducking is a common way of bringing in a 
suit when there is no re-entry card in another 
suit. Suppose Dummy holds a six-card suit, 
headed by ace, king, and that declarer has only 
two small cards of that suit, Dummy having 
no re-entry in any other suit. If two rounds 



148 AUCTION BRIDGE 



of the suit are led out, the remainder of the 
suit is dead. But if the first round is ducked, 
holding up both ace and king, the next time 
that declarer gets in he can lead the suit again, 
and the ace and king, winning the second and 
third rounds instead of the first and second, 
may make every remaining trick in the suit. 

When the dealer is afraid of a suit opened 
against him and has only one winning card in 
it, such as the ace, it is better to hold up that 
card until one adversary is out of the suit, so 
that he cannot lead it to his partner. 

Declarer must be careful to get out of his 
own way, so as not to block his good suits ; but 
there will be little difficulty in this respect if 
he is careful to follow the rule of always play- 
ing the high cards from the hand which is 
shorter in the suit. With six to the king in 
one hand, queen, jack, small in the other, play 
small from the hand that has six cards; and 
play the queen and then the jack from the 
other, even if the ace wins the first trick. 

DISCARDING 

Declarer, seeing both hands, knows what he 
can best aflford to discard when he cannot fol- 
low suit. The beginner may perhaps need to 
have it pointed out to him that it is never nee- 



AUCTION BRIDGE I49 

essary to keep the same number of the same 
suit in both hands. Suppose that declarer has 
to discard from his own hand and from 
Dummy's, and that he holds four clubs and 
diamonds in each. He can discard three of the 
clubs from the hand that is weak in that suit, 
and three of the diamonds from the other 
hand. If one hand is strong" in both suits, he 
can discard his uncertain cards. 

When either of declarer's adversaries have 
to discard when playing against a trump dec- 
laration, the conventional rule is to discard the 
suit you want led, because it is highly impor- 
tant to inform the partner in which suit there 
is any chance for more tricks. This idea is 
borrowed from the experience of the Whist 
table, at which strength was always discarded 
when the strength in trumps was against the 
player. 

Some players discard weakness, even 
against a trump declaration, trusting the part- 
ner to judge which of the other suits it is 
better to lead. This weak discard is probably 
the more common in England ; but it is never 
played in the United States. It is just as well 
in these days of difference of opinion, to ask 
your partner, before the rubber begins, which 
discard he affects. 

Against a no-trumper, the majority of 



ISO AUCTION BRIDGE 

players will tell you that they discard from 
weakness; but you wall find that they depart 
from this rule whenever it is necessary to pro- 
tect a suit; so you must not jump to the con- 
clusion that your partner is weak in a suit just 
because he discards it, even if he has told you 
that he discards from weakness as a system. 

Careful observation has convinced me that 
the safest rule when playing against a no- 
trumper is to discard the suit you are not 
afraid of — the suit which you do not think the 
declarer will attack next. This enables you to 
keep guard on the suit you are afraid of. Re- 
member that the discard is not for the purpose 
of keeping every possible trick in your long 
suit, but it is to keep the declarer from making 
tricks which he has no business to make, and 
which he never could make if you did not help 
him along by unguarding the suit. 

Suppose the declarer is leading diamonds, 
and you have a suit of five hearts to the ace, 
king, ten, and three clubs to the jack; Dummy 
having nothing of value in either suit. Discard 
the hearts and keep the three clubs. The de- 
clarer is never going to lead a suit in which 
you have the ace, king, ten over him, after he 
has run down all his diamonds. What he is 
going to attack next is probably the club suit, 
and your three to the jack may prove useful. 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



151 



Remember that jack in one hand, queen in the 
other, either twice guarded, is a sure stopper 
for that suit. Three to a jack or a queen is 
often the salvation of a no-trumper that would 
otherwise take the game and rubber away from 
you. 

There are many situations in auction bridge 
which require the player to recall the bidding, 
but he is not allowed to be informed by his 
partner as to any feature of it. If you are 
in doubt as to where the command of a certain 
suit lies or wish to place the lead in a certain 
hand, a recollection of the bids may enable you 
to solve the problem. Here is an example 
from actual play: 





4^ 8 5 3 








C? K Q 10 6 3 2 

«8 

J 64 






Y 






4 10 9 6 4 2 






♦ K7 


C?9 

4» A 9 3 


A 


B 


C? A 84 
♦ J 10 7 5 


K Q 10 2 


Z 




A 9 7 3 




4 A Q J 
^ J 7 6 








4» K Q 6 4 2 

085 




' 



152 AUCTION BRIDGE 

Z, the dealer, bid one club as he did not care 
to go two in spades. A bid one diamond and 
Y one heart, B one in no-trumps. Z and A 
passed, Y bid two in hearts and B two in no- 
trumps, becoming the declarer, with Z to lead. 

Z led the jack of hearts and B held off until 
the third round. Then he made four tricks in 
diamonds, winning the last round himself. 
Now, in order to get his king of spades led 
up and so save his declaration, he recalled Z's 
opening bid of clubs, showing the king and 
queen at least, as Dummy has the ace. 

B led a small club and allowed Z to hold the 
trick with his queen, Z having discarded two 
clubs on the diamonds. Z at once returned the 
club, thinking B would make both jack and 
ace but would then have to lead a spade. But 
Dummy put on the ace second hand and led a 
third round, forcing Z in and B made his spade 
king and a club trick, which fulfilled his con- 
tract. 

VALUE OF THE SCORE 

Those who have been accustomed to straight 
bridge will have to abandon all their ideas of 
playing to the score, because the score amounts 
to little or nothing in auction unless you are 
making a safe bid to take you out on the deal. 



AUCTION BRIDGE 1 53 

There is no particular danger in allowing the 
adversaries to get to 24, because they have no 
more chance of going out on the next deal than 
you have. In bridge it seems to be taken for 
granted that if the other side have only a few 
points to go and it is their next deal that they 
will probably make them and go out. This is 
not so in auction. 

The importance of the score in auction 
bridge is not for the next deal, but for the deal 
you are playing, and it is essential to watch 
carefully how many points are wanted by the 
side that is bidding for the declaration, because 
if they are likely to make those points the only 
chance is to induce them to bid up their hands 
^ to just one trick more than they are worth, so 
that they shall not be able to reach. You must 
remember that although only 6 points may be 
needed to go game, if they make it diamonds 
they may have to bid as high as three by cards 
and if they win only two by cards they are as 
far from game as ever. 

Another part of the score that requires 
watching is the grand total. After you have 
scored several heavy penalties and are some 
six or seven hundred points ahead, the prin- 
cipal thing to avoid is allowing the other side 
to score penalties against you and so balancing 



154 AUCTION BRIDGE 

the account. If they will permit you to get the 
declaration cheaply so that you can score 
safely and go out, take it. But if they push 
you to bidding anything beyond what is quite 
safe, let them have it themselves. If they fail, 
you get more points in penalties. If they suc- 
ceed and go out, the balance on the rubber will 
be largely in your favor. 

There used to be an idea among those who 
were prejudiced against auction that one could 
keep the game going forever, so that those who 
were ahead would never win it; but that is 
hardly possible when one side can refrain from 
bidding and let the other side win, even if they 
have to throw tricks to do it. Some good 
players make a point to give the opponents 
a game and the rubber whenever the 250 points 
that go with it will still leave a balance in 
their own favor of 400 points or over, as that 
is about the average value of a rubber. 

When you are behind in the grand total, 
these tactics may be reversed and it should be 
your aim to induce the adversaries to think 
they have an easy game when they have not. 
Your best chance is to let them alone if you 
think they have undertaken a trick more than 
they can carry. Do not double them or scare 
them oflf, but sit tight and defeat every declara- 



AUCTION BRIDGE 155 

tion you can, because that is the only way to 
get back points by the hundred. You do not 
want to win the rubber while you are four or 
five hundred points minus. 

There is one feature of playing to the score 
that used to be much more in evidence than it 
is now. This is what is called keeping the flag 
flying. It was a pet theory among those who 
first took up the game that anything was better 
than a lost rubber and they would make the 
most extraordinary bids on their cards simply 
to keep the other side from winning the rubber 
on that deal. The defence to this was, of 
course, to take the penalties and then give up 
the rubber. 

These outlines are only hints, as this part 
of the play is so infinitely varied that it will 
be much better and more quickly learnt at the 
card-table than from any text-book. Nothing 
will impress such situations on the beginner as 
to burn his fingers with them once or twice. 

IN CONCLUSION 

Practice is the principal thing, of course, in 
learning any game, and watching good players 
is a great help. Beginners will always find the 
really good players ready and willing to ex- 



156 AUCTION BRIDGE 



plain their reasons for handling certain situa- 
tions which are not clear to the novice. 

Avoid criticising your partner, above all 
things ; because nothing so quickly destroys the 
mutual confidence which is so essential to suc- 
cess. If your partner does not know the leads, 
or does not understand your conventional bids 
and plays, you can still play your own hand to 
the best advantage ; but do not try to teach any- 
one the game during the progress of a rubber. 

Above all, in Auction Bridge, as in all bid- 
ding games, do not be afraid. Bid your hand 
for all it is worth, so as to get the declaration 
if you can. There is a good old axiom which 
says that the man who plays the most games 
will win the most points. Fortune favors the 
brave. 



VARIETIES OF AUCTION 
BRIDGE 

There is one variation of Auction Bridge (the 
idea of which is apparently borrowed from the 
Russian game of Siberiac), in which the bid- 
ding is entirely by suits, the number of tricks 
to be taken not being mentioned. 

The dealer is not obliged to bid at all, and 
it sometimes happens* that everyone passes and 
the deal is void. A mark is then placed upon 
the score sheets, showing that 50 points bonus 
is to be added to the eventual winners of the 
rubber. 

The suits maintain their usual rank — spades, 
clubs, diamonds, hearts, and no-trumps. Bids 
outrank one another by suits alone. A player 
who is willing to declare hearts for the trump, 
even if he thinks he can make no more than 
the odd trick, outbids one who is willing to 
undertake a Grand Slam in diamonds. There 
is no doubling. 

The declarer always plays with the Dummy 
for his partner, no matter who deals, and the 
player on the declarer's left always leads for 
the first trick before Dummy's cards are laid 
down. Only the declaring side can score be- 

157 



158 AUCTION BRIDGE 

low the line, so that a player must go out on 
his own declaration. 

If the declaring side makes the odd trick or 
more, it scores, as usual, 2, 4, 6, 8, or 12 points 
a trick over the book, according to the declara- 
tion. If the adversaries make the odd trick or 
more, they score in the same way, but above 
the line, and they add 50 points penalty for 
every trick that they make over the book. 
Suppose the declaring hand says hearts, and 
loses two by cards. His adversaries would 
score 116 above the line. 

Honors are scored as usual, and 100 points 
are added for winning the rubber. Little Slam 
is worth 50, and Grand Slam 100. There is no 
Chicane. 



Another variation, popular in many parts of 
America, is to bid by figures, so as to conceal 
the bidder's intention as to the trump suit. The 
dealer must make a bid, and each player in 
turn can overbid by stating the numerical value 
of the game which he is willing to undertake. 
These figures include both the trick and the 
honor values in one sum. The rank of the suits 
and the value of the tricks is the same as usual ; 
but there is an added declaration of misere, 
in which each trick is worth 14 points. 



AUCTION BRIDGE 1 59 

The honors must be taken home in tricks to 
count, and their value is simpHfied by making 
each honor in the black suits worth two points, 
and in the red suits four. Aces are worth six, 
and the last ace played counts double, so as to 
avoid ties. Only the difference between the 
honors is reckoned. If AB take home three 
out of five, they score for one. If they get 
home four, they score for three. If they get 
home three aces, none of them the last ace, 
they score for one only. 

After the dealer has started the bidding, 
each player can overbid as long as he is over- 
bid himself, the bid going round to the left in 
turn. Sometimes the bids keep one guessing. 
Suppose a player thinks he can make the odd 
in hearts, holding ace, king, queen in that suit, 
with others. He must have the majority of 
the honors, even if he fails to catch any, so he 
can bid twelve. The player on his left has 
three aces, and being sure of six for honors, 
bids eighteen, with a view to the odd at no- 
trump. Either of these bids might be almost 
anything, and many players conceal their suit 
by odd bids. I have known a player to bid 
twenty-two with five honors in diamonds in 
his hand, just to keep the others guessing. 

The highest bidder, when all others pass, 



l6o AUCTION BRIDGE 

names the trump suit, or no-trumps, or misere. 
The player on his left leads, and Dummy lays 
down his cards, the highest bidder playing the 
combined hands. 

In a trump declaration, the declaring hand 
must take the odd trick at least; he cannot 
make his bid good with honors alone. All 
tricks over the book count. 

If the bidder fails to make as many points 
as he has bid in a trump declaration, he scores 
nothing, not even for honors, and he loses 
double value for every trick by which he fails. 
Suppose he has bid twenty and declared hearts, 
winning the odd only, and three honors out of 
the five. The value of this is twelve points, 
so he is a trick short of his bid, twenty. He 
therefore loses sixteen. 

At the end of a no-trumper, the bidder must 
give back one of the tricks he has won, and 
the score is then settled by the difference be- 
tween the tricks held by each side. Suppose 
the bid was thirty, and the declaring side won 
nine actual tricks at no-trump, with three aces, 
one of them the last played. After giving back 
a trick, he has eight to five, a difference of 
three, at 12 points each, 36 for tricks and 18 
for aces — total, 54. 

If the declaration is misere, there are no 



AUCTION BRIDGE l6l 

trumps, and the declaring side tries to win as 
few tricks as possible. Aces count against 
the side taking them home. No matter how 
many actual tricks the declaring hand wins in 
a misere, the adversaries give him two of theirs 
at the end, and the difference is then settled 
for. Suppose the bid is forty, and the misere 
player wins three tricks and takes home the 
last ace. He gets two tricks from his adver- 
saries, making him 5ve, but still three less than 
theirs, so he scores three times fourteen, or 42 
for tricks, and 6 for aces; because the aces 
count against the holders of them at the end. 
They are therefore good discards, if the misere 
player can get rid of them on another suit. 

If the declarer fails in either a no-trump or 
a misere, he loses double. Suppose he has bid 
thirty-six, and wins eight actual tricks, with 
three aces, one the last. When he has given 
back the required trick, he has a majority of 
one only, worth 12 points, and 18 for aces ; so 
he is set back and scores nothing. The adver- 
saries, who always reckon that it would have 
been tricks and not honors which would have 
been required to make the bid good, score one 
trick doubled, or 24 points penalty. 

If the bidder has the majority of tricks in a 
misere, or fails to make good his bid, he loses 



l62 AUCTION BRIDGE 

double the trick value, which is 14 each. The 
majority of the aces count against the side 
taking them in at misere, and the last one 
counts double, as usual. 

Everything is scored in a lump, and the 
game is at an end when each player has dealt 
once. The lesser total is deducted from the 
greater, and the difference is the value of the 
game to the winners, at so much a point. 

This is a much more interesting variation 
than it may appear to be from the description 
of it, although it lacks the element of informa- 
ing the partner as to the suit in which the un- 
successful bidder is strong, as in the regular 
game of Auction Bridge. 



THREE HAND AUCTION 



When there are not enough players to form 
a table, it is sometimes desirable to play three- 
hand. The cards are dealt in the usual way, 
after cutting for the first deal and the choice 
of seats, each player receiving thirteen, the 
fourth hand being dealt opposite the vacant 
seat. 

The bidding proceeds in the usual manner, 
the dealer making the first declaration, but 
there are no partnerships, each player being 
against both the others. This precludes any 
such tactics as naming a suit in the hope that a 
partner will be induced to over-call it with no- 
trumps. It is only when one player has bid 
and the second has passed that the third to say 
can pass also, so as to secure the first one who 
passed for his partner. 

The highest bidder becomes the declarer and 
the player sitting on his left leads for the first 
trick. Should the seat opposite the declarer 
be occupied, the person in it must move to the 
vacant chair, taking his cards with him, and 



164 AUCTION BRIDGE 



the dummy hand, which has so far remained 
face down and untouched, is sorted and placed 
face up, opposite the declarer. 

Just as in four hand, no one but the declarer 
can score toward game. If the declaration is 
defeated, each adversary scores separately the 
amount of the penalties, so that if A's contract 
was to make three in hearts and he made two 
only, B and C would each score 50 points 
penalty. If they held simple honors against 
him, they would both score them. 

It is necessary to keep the score in three 
columns, one for each player. At the end of 
the rubber, these are balanced, the method be- 
ing as follows : 

Suppose that after adding his 250 rubber 
points, A, who was the first player to win two 
games, has 650, while B has 420 and C has no 
only. 

ABC 

+650 +420 +110 



+230 -230 -540 

+540 +310 -310 

+760 + 80 -850 

A has won the difference between his 650 
and B's 420, so A is plus 230 and B is minus 



AUCTION BRIDGE 165 

that amount. From C, we find A has won 540, 
so C has lost that amount. Finally, the dif- 
ference between B and C is 310, in B's favor. 
Putting all these down and adding, we get 770 
plus for A, and 850 minus for C, while B's 
230 minus must be deducted from his 310 plus, 
leaving him still 80 winner. 



-CT 3 1910 



One copy del. to Cat. Div. 



i^-i 3 WdO 



